


The Rust

by NorthernGhost



Series: The Devil Lies in the West [2]
Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Trauma, Post-Canon, Psychological Trauma, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:02:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 113,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23506558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthernGhost/pseuds/NorthernGhost
Summary: After a second signal of unknown origin nearly awoke a new wave of ancient machines, Aloy discovered a message to her sent within it, signed only from a figure who seemingly should have long since died. Fueled by the discovery of yet another clone of Elisabet Sobeck, and with Anukai left forever marked following the signal’s attack, the small group must press onward to the Northwest, toward a modern city rumored to have been built within the rusted bones of the Old Ones in the hopes of discovering the seeming ties between those who run it and the new worldly threat.
Relationships: Aloy & Elisabet Sobeck, Aloy/Talanah Khane Padish, OC/Ikrie
Series: The Devil Lies in the West [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593841
Comments: 61
Kudos: 24





	1. Recovery

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Part 2 of _The Devil Lies in the West_.
> 
> If you've ended up here first, I would highly recommend reading the first installment, [The Dust](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22143973/chapters/52857691), as this will pick up immediately after the events of that one.
> 
> Anyhow, this is kind of going to be the _Empire Strikes Back_ of this series, so prepare accordingly.
> 
> If you're still here and following all the way from my original series, [Living Systems](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1218735), I offer a sincere thanks. This entire series is a sequel to that, so... yeah, it's getting to be a lot, but I had this idea and I'll be damned that I see it through to the end.
> 
> (Also if you're new or just getting caught up as this is posted, I post every Monday, so mark your calendars.)
> 
> With all of that out of the way, come along into the world amidst _The Rust_.

The sun shone brightly off the white ground of the valley hundreds of yards below, prompting the redhead to squint as she leaned her back against the hard, cold surface behind her. Her breath instantly fogged before her as she exhaled heavily, her eyes tracking the small cloud as it began to ascend upward, only to vanish into the air after a second or two. The sound of motion from beside her prompted her to glance over, finding a familiar figure dressed in a set of dyed blue and yellow furs approaching and taking a seat on the ledge beside her with a sigh. The redhead watched the cloud of vapor puff from under the hood of the figure before they reached up to remove it, revealing a head of short, dark-hair.  


“Yeah, you win, I know.”  


Anukai laughed as Ikrie glanced over at her, smirking.  


“Who said it was a contest?”  


“I believe you did, down at the bottom.”  


The redhead glanced down at the snow-covered ground far below them before shrugging.  


“You only act like you don’t care because you’re the ‘winner’.”  


Ikrie nudged her shoulder playfully and Anukai tensed, grabbing part of the metal structure beside her as she felt her balance shift slightly. A moment later, a hand gripped her upper arm, holding her in place.  


“Sorry, you okay?” Ikrie asked quickly.  


“Scared you, huh?” Anukai replied, trying to hide the slight tremor in her voice as she felt her heart pounding in her chest, her mind now acutely focused on the drop-off only a few feet to her right.  


As she glanced back over at Ikrie, she found the other girl biting her lower lip slightly, a clearly concerned expression on her face.  


“Here, let’s—uh—maybe move a little more that way…”  


The dark-haired girl nodded and obliged, carefully climbing onto the flat ground to their left and waiting for Anukai to do the same. As she rose to her feet, the redhead let out a heavy sigh, rotating her left shoulder.  


“You okay?”  


“Yeah, just… feels weird…”  


As she glanced over, she suddenly noted that her left jacket arm seemed to be hanging loose, and she couldn’t see her hand extending from the end of it.  


“What the…?”  


She squeezed the sleeve, but there was clearly nothing in it up to several inches below her shoulder.  


“Anukai…”  


“Ikrie, what happened?”  


As she glanced up at the dark-haired girl, she found that she was no longer wearing her heavy cold-weather gear, but a pair of simple leggings and the fabric tunic she usually wore beneath her main one. The redhead’s eyes quickly locked onto the splotches of dark crimson that spotted her clothing, as well as the similarly-colored stains on her hands.  


“Ikrie?!”  


The dark-haired girl’s eyes were watery as she stared back at her, shaking her head. Anukai glanced down at her sleeve, once again, to find that it was now soaked in blood, the vermilion liquid dripping onto the snow-covered surface beside her. The redhead’s chest heaved as she tried to form some kind of word, but the only sound that escaped her was a wordless scream of terror.  


A moment later, she found herself plunged into total darkness, unable to see, hear, feel, or move. She tried to turn her head and blink, but she couldn’t tell if either had worked, and she found herself desperately wishing for the image of Ikrie and the snow-covered ruin, once again, if only to provide something other than the crushing, black void.  


Suddenly, Anukai stopped trying to move when she realized that she had heard something. She focused on it intensely, almost willing it to grow louder. To her surprise, it did, and she kept her focus on it, unwilling to let it slip away, once again.  


As the sound grew, she realized what it was: voices.  


She could only make out general tones and the impressions of several people talking, but there were most definitely no words, yet. Still, she visualized herself holding onto a rope, dragging herself toward it with all of her strength, even as the darkness around her tugged at her legs and threatened to pull her back into it at any moment.  


Slowly, but surely, the sound began to fill the darkness, until it seemed to reverberate through her, although the exact words were still unclear. Anukai tried to force herself to open her eyes, only for the sound to disappear, as if it had suddenly been ripped from her hands, leaving her tumbling backward into the darkness as she tried to let out a scream of rage, but although she felt as if she could open her mouth, no sound came out.  


Suddenly, the sound of her own voice reached her ears and she felt herself thrown into reality all at once, her body jolting upright. She blinked rapidly, trying to take in the room, only to find that it was incredibly dark. She could make out what appeared to be a white blanket over her, but little else beyond it.  


A moment later, she felt motion beside her and glanced over, her heart pounding faster as she found Ikrie shifting, as if just waking up. The dark-haired girl’s eyes blinked open slowly before confusion creased her face.  


“What’s wrong?” she croaked. “Another nightmare?”  


Anukai let out a heavy sigh, falling onto the surface beside Ikrie and burying her face in the other girl’s shoulder.  


“Hey, hey…”  


The redhead only gripped the other girl tighter as Ikrie attempted to lift her head.  


“It’s okay, I’m right here…”  


“Don’t… don’t go.”  


“I’m not.”  


Anukai wrapped both arms around the dark-haired girl, squeezing her desperately as Ikrie attempted to roll over to face her, but was unsuccessful in the redhead’s grip.  


“It’s okay, Anukai, just breathe…”  


The redhead inhaled slowly and deeply, but found that she couldn’t discern any sort of actual scent from the effort. Her heart rate began to skyrocket as she attempted to somehow pull herself even closer.  


“No… no…”  


“Anukai, I can barely breathe…”  


“Don’t go… don’t go…”  


A moment later, however, the feeling of warmth from the other huntress disappeared in her grasp as she felt herself plunging into the darkness, once again, a wordless cry attempting to escape the redhead. She fought for the sounds to return, but this time the void seemed unwilling to yield, despite her efforts.  


In lieu of that, Anukai began to try to move, twisting herself around, blinking, moving her arms and legs, but she couldn’t tell if it was actually doing anything. Finally, after losing track of how long she had been trying, she gave up, letting the feeling of herself falling still sink over her as a sob tried to escape her.  


This couldn’t be it.  


All there was.  


Forever.  


“It’s not.”  


Suddenly, Anukai found herself whirling around, her feet in contact with a hard surface. Her gaze searched about the new space she had suddenly found herself in wildly, but she quickly realized that she didn’t recognize any of it. The floor was made of a strange, checkered pattern, while the walls were mainly covered in wooden storage containers that appeared to be fastened directly into them. She vaguely recognized something that looked like it could have been used for heating food, before her eyes fell on what sat in the center of the room.  


It was simply a plain, wooden table, but the figure seated on the opposite side was what primarily drew her attention.  


Anukai felt her hands clenching into fists at her sides as she stared down the redhead across from her.  


“You…”  


As the other redhead began to open her mouth to respond, Anukai suddenly stalked forward, beginning to move around the table, which prompted her to jump in surprise and rise to her feet.  


“You’re the reason I’m… this…”  


The younger redhead’s voice trailed off as she felt her throat constricting, choking off her words.  


“I understand what you’re feeling,” the older redhead said slowly, “but I’m not who you seem to think I am.”  


Confusion washed over Anukai as the older redhead gestured to the other side of the table, where a single, empty chair sat.  


“Can we talk, please?”  


The younger redhead continued to glare at her for several moments before finally obliging and sliding into the seat, prompting the other woman to retake hers. Anukai carefully studied her, noting the short hairstyle, but otherwise taking in the all-too familiar lines around her eyes and lips, the freckles across her cheekbones, and the gold-green hazel of the eyes that stared back at her.  


“You’re the other one,” Anukai said slowly.  


“Which other one?”  


“The one I’ve seen several times,” she said. “At Daytower, in the garden in Meridian…”  


The older redhead sighed, shaking her head.  


“No, I’m not her. You have met… someone like me, though.”  


Anukai let out a short laugh.  


“I’ve met a few people who look like you… including myself.”  


“Yeah… that… it’s a complicated situation,” the older redhead sighed. “I’ll just cut all kinds of bullshit out of this, right now. I’m Elisabet Sobeck. The original one… I think.”  


Anukai continued to stare back at her before letting out another laugh and leaning back in her chair.  


“Great, just another dream.”  


“Not quite.”  


“Do you _think_ that, too?”  


The older redhead sighed, running her hands over her face for a moment before looking back up at her.  


“I saw you, in that endless field, and before that burning tree, for the first time,” she began. “I know you saw me, seemed to be me, when you talked to Samina and my… my mother.”  


Anukai continued to stare back at her dubiously as the older redhead folded her hands on the table before her, fingers working restlessly.  


“You’ve seen memories… mine and Aloy’s.”  


The younger redhead hesitated for a moment at the mention of the other name, her jaw working slowly.  


“And… I’ve seen yours.”  


Finally, after several moments of still, tense silence, Anukai let out a heavy sigh.  


“Well, I guess there are worse ways to spend time than that void…”  


“You’re not dead.”  


The younger redhead’s eyes flicked toward the other woman to find that her hands had fallen still before her, her gaze locked on Anukai.  


“If that’s what you were thinking.”  


“I was, a bit, yeah,” the younger redhead spat.  


“I’m also not your enemy.”  


“Really? Because it feels like the two people I’ve seen who look exactly like you have put me in positions where I’ve, supposedly, almost died!”  


Anukai shot from her chair, leaning over the table slightly as the older redhead recoiled.  


“So tell me why I should trust you, now?”  


The older redhead stared back at her for several long moments before sighing heavily.  


“I can’t make you change your mind.”  


“You’re right.”  


“But whatever it comes to, Anukai, I just want you to know…”  


The younger redhead shivered at the use of her name.  


“I care about you, just as I care for Aloy, and I know as she cares for you.”  


Anukai let out a loud bought of laughter as she paced away from the table, running her hands through her hair.  


“She does.”  


Finally, the younger redhead came to a stop with a stamp of her foot, staring at the wall ahead of her for several moments before spinning on her heel to face the older redhead, once again.  


“At this point, it feels like everyone has tried to manipulate me,” she said slowly, “and I can’t help but feel like you’re doing the same.”  


“The… other version of me,” the other woman sighed, “most definitely tried to manipulate you, I won’t deny that. Aloy, though, has not.”  


“But she did make me go all the way out into the desert—”  


“She didn’t _make_ you do anything, Anukai.”  


The younger redhead fell silent as the woman who called herself Elisabet rose from her seat, with a sigh.  


“She presented the chance, and you didn’t say no.”  


Anukai continued to stare back at her as the older redhead fidgeted with the sleeve of her jacket nervously.  


“You could have backed out at any time,” she continued, “but you wanted to know. Like Aloy… like myself… and like my mother… you’re driven by the need to _know_.”  


The younger redhead’s jaw worked tensely for several moments before she finally let out a heavy sigh, shaking her head.  


“Is it too late to change my mind?”  


The older redhead’s face fell as Anukai suddenly felt a tight pain building in her left arm and she grimaced, looking over at it. Her eyes fell on a similarly missing appendage after several inches below her shoulder, and her heart rate began to skyrocket.  


“Kiddo…”  


Just then, the pain flared, once again, and Anukai let out a cry in response, only for her eyes to widen as she saw something seemingly poking out of her skin where her arm now ended. A moment later, several more items seemed to follow suit, and she quickly realized that they seemed to be metal wires. Her breath caught in her chest as she could only watch as more of the metal material began to burst from her, twisting and winding into some kind of form.  


A cry of terror and pain escaped her as she could only watch the metal twist and form from her, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest. Suddenly, she realized what shape it was taking, as she slowly held her arm up before her, watching as the shape of her hand formed out of the metal components, until finally it all settled into place, the lower half of her arm seemingly in place, once again, but made entirely out of metal and machine parts.  


“What… what…?”  


She glanced over at Elisabet to find her looking back at Anukai with a saddened expression.  


“What happened to me?!”  


The older redhead remained silent as Anukai gingerly poked at the metal forearm, finding it cold and hard under her touch. A whimper escaped her before turning into a full blown scream as she felt her knees give way and she fell to the floor, the metal arm reacting like her own to catch her before she fully collapsed onto the hard, tile surface.  


Her chest was heaving as she felt a nauseous feeling rising in her throat. Just before she could actually vomit, however, the world seemed to fall away, leaving her in the dark, silent void, once again. Anukai could still feel the residual feeling of her heart pounding, even if she could no longer feel her chest heaving.  


A moment later, however, she realized that a sound filled the darkness. She paused, focusing on it, only to realize what it was.  


A deep pounding that sounded in a steady rhythm.  


It filled her entire being, seemingly resonating within what she could feel of her body. Slowly, she felt as if she were being tugged upward, drawn by each, pounding beat. No other sounds rose to join it, but she realized that something else had begun to penetrate the void.  


Feeling.  


She could feel a tingling in her limbs, and she focused on it, desperate to build more of the world around her, using the steady beat as her anchor and her lifeline. The feeling of being pulled upward continued as sensations began to slowly return to the rest of her body. She could feel something firm beneath her back, something weighing down her right side, and… warmth.  


She desperately clung to each sensation, drawing on them like she had drawn on the imagined rope, earlier.  


Slowly but surely, she found that they all filled her, along with the pounding beat, but another sensation drew her attention the most.  


A similar pounding in her chest. It didn’t perfectly align with the one that filled her ears, but she could feel it just as strongly as she heard the other.  


Suddenly, with one final yank upward by the pounding, she felt the pull of the void seemingly slip away from her, leaving her in a still and silent place, but with an overwhelming, indescribable feeling.  


The feeling of simply being alive.  


She remained still for a moment or two longer, reveling in the sensation of it all before finally attempting to crack her eyes open. Her eyelids didn’t seem to want to respond, at first, but they slowly obliged. At first, she kept her eyes squinted until the pain of the light in them passed, but once it had, she blinked slowly, revealing the rest of the world around her.  


Immediately, the first thing she saw was a metal ceiling above her, and confusion fell over her before memories of how she had ended up in the void in the first place truly sank into her. With a shiver, she slowly rolled her head toward the feeling of weight and warmth to her right.  


Immediately, her eyes fell on the image of blue fabric and what she could only assume was skin, but she didn’t need more for her mind to fill in the rest of the information for her. A small sound like a whimper escaped her as she attempted to lean her head more toward the still figure, but the side of her face was already rather firmly pressed up against her.  


As she moved, however, the sleeping form began to stir.  


After several long seconds, the figure fell still, the sound of a breath being sharply sucked in reaching the redhead.  


“Anukai…?”  


The voice was soft and hoarse, barely louder than a breath, but the redhead was close enough that it was clearly discernable. The redhead nodded ever so slightly in response, which prompted the figure beside her to quickly move more, adjusting her position so that she slid farther down alongside her.  


A moment later, Ikrie’s face came into view, her dark brown eyes wide as Anukai felt a smile begin to tug at her lips.  


“You’re awake…” the dark-haired girl breathed.  


“Finally,” Anukai croaked, the simple act of speaking sending a jolt of pain down her throat.  


With a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh, Ikrie suddenly leaned forward, her lips pressing against Anukai’s with an intensity she had never experienced before. Still, the redhead felt hers part slightly as she welcomed the sensation, allowing Ikrie to continue for as long as she was able. When she finally pulled back, the redhead found that she wished she hadn’t.  


The dark-haired girl let out a quiet, shaky laugh as Anukai saw tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. Ikrie said nothing, but gently stroked her hand over the redhead’s hair and along the side of her face, her fingers noticeably trembling. Without another word, she pressed in for another kiss, keeping one hand alongside Anukai’s cheek.  


This time, it didn’t last for quite as long, but as soon as she pulled back, she began to pepper more soft kisses across the redhead’s face, seemingly outlining every part of it before finally pausing and landing one last, much softer, one on her lips.  


When they parted, once again, Anukai noted the tears still running from her eyes and attempted to lift her hand to wipe them away. As she did, however, she found that her left arm felt heavy and hard to move, and she frowned, beginning to turn her head toward it.  


“Anukai…” Ikrie said, but it was already too late.  


The redhead’s eyes fell on the side of the bed to her left, and her face immediately went pale. The visible portion of pale skin above the top of the blanket extended across her shoulder and the beginning of her arm, but after a few inches, it suddenly gave way to gleaming, grey metal. Her gaze travelled along it until she found the hand at the end, bringing with it memories of a strange room with a tile floor and another redhead.  


A cry began to build in Anukai’s chest as Ikrie insistently tried to turn her head back toward her.  


“It’s okay, it’s okay,” the dark-haired girl repeated, but the redhead refused to lie still.  


“What… what happened…? Why…? My arm…?”  


“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Ikrie repeated, finally turning Anukai’s head away and pulling her tightly against her chest, blocking her view of the left side of her body.  


“N-no, Ikrie, it’s… it’s not…”  


“You’re alive, Anukai,” the dark-haired girl croaked. “Of course it is.”  


“But…”  


“You’re alive. That’s all that matters.”  


“I-I…”  


“You’re alive… you’re alive…”  


Anukai felt Ikrie press a firm kiss to the crown of her head even as her face was buried in the warmth of the dark-haired girl’s body, her arms wrapping around the redhead and holding her as tightly as she dared.  


Anukai felt her own hot tears begin to form, and she squeezed her eyes shut, only to feel them leak out, anyway. Ikrie shifted her grip on the redhead, once again, placing another kiss to the top of her forehead as she began to gently rock her, as well. The entire time, the dark-haired girl continued repeating the single phrase “you’re alive” over and over, her voice forming a steady pulse, as the sound of her heartbeat had earlier.  


Finally, when both of them had fallen still and silent, once again, Ikrie relented her hold slightly, if only to allow her to position herself so she could look Anukai in the eyes. The redhead stared back at the dark brown circles surrounded by a field of reddened white, all covered by a sheen of water that spilled onto the field of freckles beneath them.  


“You’re alive…” Ikrie managed, one last time, her breath hot on Anukai’s face.  


Slowly, the redhead swallowed and nodded.  


“I-I… I was… afraid…”  


“Me, too.”  


They both stared back at each other for another moment or two before Anukai attempted to lean forward, to which Ikrie quickly obliged and pressed into the kiss. It was slower and softer than any before, with both girls falling still quickly, but their lips barely separating. They remained there for several long moments before Anukai swallowed at the rough feeling in her throat, once again.  


“Do you know what… what pulled me back?”  


Ikrie shook her head ever so slightly.  


Anukai carefully moved her right arm, sliding it under the dark-haired girl and pulling her even closer so that their chests were firmly pressed together, the redhead leaning forward so her face was pressed into the crook of Ikrie’s neck. As they fell still, Anukai found she could feel the sensation of Ikrie’s pulse steadily beating against her, and for a moment she began to wonder if it was simply in her head, but the other girl quickly leaned forward, as well, gently leaning her head against the redhead’s.  


“When I said—”  


“I know,” Anukai muttered.  


“No, when I said… that before,” Ikrie continued softly, one hand reaching up to stroke the side of Anukai’s hair slowly, “I hoped you could feel the same.”  


A sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob escaped Anukai as she nodded slowly, pressing her lips firmly against the skin of Ikrie’s neck.  


“I do.”  


They remained still long enough that Anukai lost track of time, simply focusing on the feeling of warmth radiating from Ikrie and the steady pounding that reverberated through her chest; whether it was her own pulse or the other girl’s, she couldn’t tell, but she didn’t care.  


What finally pulled the redhead out of her daze was the sound of a synthetic chime that suddenly rang throughout the room, prompting her to jump in surprise, which evidently roused Ikrie, as well. When she lifted her head slightly, she found a figure standing in a doorway across the room from them, clearly stopped mid-step.  


Confusion creased Anukai’s face as she glanced over the unfamiliar woman for a moment or two before she cleared her throat.  


“I hate to interrupt…”  


Ikrie finally seemed to react to the new presence, half-disentangling herself from the redhead as she glanced over her shoulder. The new woman stepped the rest of the way into the room, letting the door slide closed behind her as she approached.  


“Ikrie, I hate to ask, but… can I… a moment?”  


The dark-haired girl sighed, placing one last kiss to Anukai’s temple before climbing out of the bed with her, rising to her feet with a groan.  


“Hey, Anukai,” the new woman said, stepping beside the bed. “I don’t think we’ve met while you’ve been awake.”  


The redhead shook her head slowly.  


“My name is Vansa,” the woman said, smiling slightly. “I’m one of the people who tries to keep all of the other people around here in one piece.”  


As Anukai stared up at her, the olive-skinned woman’s features began to look more familiar, although she distinctly remembered her having more hair protruding from beneath a cloth that was wrapped just behind her hairline.  


“I… I met your father…” the redhead said slowly.  


The woman paused, her jaw working tensely for a moment before she sighed, nodding.  


“He was good friends with Ara, so… doesn’t surprise me.”  


The redhead paused for a moment, squirming slightly on the bed before clearing her throat.  


“I’m sorry.”  


“It’s been a few days,” the woman sighed, wiping at the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand. “It’ll get there. Anyway, I came here to check on you.”  


Anukai sighed, closing her eyes for a moment.  


“The fact that you’re awake is a good start,” the woman said, grinning. “At first it seemed for the best to keep you asleep, but after a while, when you weren’t showing any signs of infection, we eased off on the good stuff.”  


The redhead raised her eyebrows slightly as Vansa smirked.  


“Not just everyone gets that strong of a dose,” she said, “so I hope it was worth it.”  


“How… how long?”  


The woman sighed, glancing back at Ikrie for a moment before shrugging.  


“A week?”  


Anukai blinked in response, prompting the other woman to quickly try to recover.  


“You were in bad shape. You needed it…”  


The redhead only shook her head, closing her eyes tightly.  


“Uh… sorry, but… do you mind if I check on your arm?”  


Anukai shrugged, but didn’t open her eyes. A moment later, she felt a soft touch prodding at the skin just before it ended, a shiver running down her spine at the thought of what lay only inches from it came over her.  


“Have you tried to move it, at all?”  


The redhead sighed, shaking her head as she cracked her eyes, open, once again.  


“It’ll take some getting used to, but…” Vansa sighed, leaning back from her position over the bed to meet Anukai’s gaze, “it’ll get there.”  


“How?”  


“It’s just a matter of… training your mind and your body,” she continued. “We learned this from some amazing doctors in Reva. My dad and I—”  


The woman paused, clearing her throat after a moment before continuing.  


“They, uh, they taught us a lot. If it’s any consolation, you’re not my first.”  


“First?”  


Vansa nodded.  


“The other guy was his leg, though. Little different, but same idea. Had to remove above the knee, so there was some training to get it to act like the real thing… he was walking within a week, though.”  


Anukai swallowed heavily before turning her head to look to her left, once again, staring down at the unnatural, grey section of her appendage.  


“So… you’re saying I can… move it?”  


“Eventually,” Vansa replied. “It’ll probably take a lot of work at first, but that’s where I come in… and Ikrie.”  


Confusion creased Anukai’s face as she turned back to the woman beside her before glancing over at the dark-haired girl behind her.  


“You learn a lot in a week?”  


Ikrie laughed, shaking her head as Vansa grinned.  


“She’s moral support,” she replied. “In my opinion, just as important as any doctor.”  


“So you’re a… doctor, too?” Anukai said, the word sounding stilted and odd as she said it.  


“Healer, doctor, miracle worker, I’ve heard it all.”  


Anukai finally laughed, shaking her head as Vansa pat her on her right shoulder.  


“There we go. My work for the hour is done.”  


With that, she stepped away from the bed, walking backward toward the door slowly.  


“I’d recommend eating, if you can. I’ve gotta make the rounds with a few others before I check back. If you need anything in the meantime, just come find me… or, you know, have Ikrie come find me. Take it slow with the walking around.”  


With that, the woman made her exit, slipping out of the door in the far corner and leaving the Banuk girls alone, once again. With a sigh, Anukai began to try to pull herself to a sitting position, only for Ikrie to appear at her side almost instantly, gently placing one arm behind her back. When the redhead was finally upright, she let out sigh, rolling her shoulders as best she could against the stiffness in them. A moment later, Ikrie’s free hand began to massage at the tight muscle in her right shoulder and she groaned softly, tilting her head forward.  


“You’d think lying around for that long would make you more relaxed,” the dark-haired girl quipped.  


“Not like I went under in the best of moods.”  


Ikrie’s motions faltered for a moment, prompting Anukai to let out a whining sound, urging her to resume.  


“I take it…” she sighed, rolling her neck slightly as Ikrie’s hands moved slowly across her back, “the rest of those machines we saw didn’t kill everyone.”  


Ikrie let out a heavy sigh.  


“No, they didn’t.”  


Silence fell over them for a few moments before Anukai turned her head slightly more toward the dark-haired girl beside her.  


“Did you destroy them?”  


“With my bare hands.”  


They both laughed as Ikrie’s motions pressed more firmly into the back of Anukai’s left shoulder, now.  


“Serves them right.”  


Several moments later, Ikrie stopped her firm, massaging motions, instead switching to simply running her hand across Anukai’s back.  


“I’ve… never seen anything like this.”  


The redhead continued to stare down at the metal appendage at her left side as she heard Ikrie let out a heavy sigh.  


“Like Vansa said, it’s something they learned.”  


“Still… how?”  


Ikrie didn’t respond, but took a seat on the edge of the bed beside the redhead, resting her chin on her shoulder.  


“Don’t know,” she replied. “You’d have to ask her.”  


“Oh, I am definitely going to want to know more.”  


Anukai felt the girl beside her shift slightly as she turned her head back in her direction.  


“How’ve you been holding up?”  


The dark-haired girl sighed heavily before wrapping her arms around the redhead and turning so her cheek rested against her shoulder, instead.  


“Sleep when I can… eat when I can… otherwise just…” Ikrie trailed off before shrugging.  


Anukai reached up to gently grip the arm wrapped around her chest, running her thumb slowly across it for a moment before leaning her head to the side, resting it against the top of Ikrie’s.  


“I… I dreamed, I think,” the redhead said softly.  


“Yeah?”  


“Yeah… I saw… memories.”  


“Good ones?”  


“Ours.”  


She could feel Ikrie’s face contort in a smile against her shoulder as Anukai found herself grinning, as well.  


“The time I challenged you to climb to the top of that ancient tower.”  


“I won getting back down, just remember that.”  


They both laughed softly before falling silent, once again. After several long moments, Ikrie cleared her throat, adjusting her position against Anukai’s shoulder slightly.  


“I… I saw what that device you found can do.”  


The redhead’s eyebrows raised as she lifted her head, turning to look toward the dark-haired girl beside her.  


“Really?”  


Ikrie nodded.  


“I held onto it for you, too.”  


Silence fell over them for a few moments before Anukai cleared her throat.  


“Sure you don’t want it?”  


The dark-haired girl sighed, lifting her head from the redhead’s shoulder so they could finally face each other, once again.  


“I kept both of them, for now. I figured you’d want yours back, though.”  


Anukai stared back at her for a few more moments before a grin split her features.  


“What persuaded you?”  


Ikrie sighed, shrugging.  


“I… I want to know more.”  


“I offered—”  


“I know, I know,” the dark-haired girl sighed, shaking her head, “but… well, a lot has changed.”  


They both fell silent for several long moments as Anukai nodded slowly.  


“Yeah, it has.”  


With that, she leaned forward, planting one more kiss on the dark-haired girl before shifting her position on the bed, once again.  


“Okay, I can’t just keep sitting here,” she sighed.  


“Take it slow, then.”  


Anukai began to move and stretch her legs, groaning and grimacing at the stiffness that made itself known. Finally, she was able to throw the blanket off herself, finding that she was still dressed in her leggings, although the tunic wrapped about her torso was not the same one she remembered from before. As she turned to her right, hanging her legs over the edge of the bed, she felt a flare of pain in her left leg and she groaned loudly.  


“What’s wrong? What happened?” Ikrie asked quickly, moving before her.  


“Nothing, just… leg hurts… a lot,” Anukai panted, reaching across with her right hand to gingerly feel along the outer side, wincing and pulling her hand back with a sharp inhalation of breath as soon as her fingers made contact, though.  


“Oh… right,” the dark-haired girl said, sighing. “Before—uh—that happened… it knocked you over, if you remember.”  


Anukai’s lips drew into a thin line as flashes of the fight in the room full of metal towers bathed in a deep blue light passed before her, but she quickly pushed them aside.  


“Vansa was shocked to see it wasn’t broken,” she continued, “but said it would probably still hurt for some time.”  


“Even a week later?” the redhead groaned.  


Ikrie shrugged.  


“I’m not the healing expert.”  


Anukai rolled her eyes, but grinned as she braced herself to put weight on her feet. As she began to slide from the bed, she found her legs shaking, and she paused, feeling that she would quickly fall over if she attempted to go much farther, for the moment.  


“That’s it… move slowly…”  


Ikrie gently placed one arm across her back as Anukai took a deep breath and tentatively began to rise to her feet, only to fall back onto the bed with a grunt a moment later.  


“Careful…”  


“I’m trying to be,” the redhead sighed. “This… dammit, I hate this.”  


“I know.”  


“I’m not supposed to be the one… like this,” she growled gesturing to herself with her right hand.  


“Who is, then?”  


“I don’t know, just… not me!”  


Ikrie’s hand gently squeezed her right upper arm as she took a seat on the bed beside her, once again.  


“You can’t blame yourself,” she said softly.  


Anukai let out a short, dry laugh as she shook her head.  


“Why not? My body’s betraying me, now, just like everyone except you.”  


She heard Ikrie let out a heavy sigh, the dark-haired girl’s hand running slowly up and down her arm. Just as the redhead braced herself to try again, the sound of a synthetic chime came from the door across the room and they both glanced up toward it. As the portal slid aside, two figures stepped through it, immediately prompting Anukai’s jaw to clench tightly as her right hand grasped the edge of the bed as tightly as she could manage.  


Aloy came to a stop just a few steps inside the door, Talanah cautiously moving beside her.  


“H-hey…” the older redhead managed.  


“Why are you here?” Anukai spat.  


“I heard… you were awake…”  


“Right, so now you’ve confirmed I’m not part of your body count,” the younger redhead spat. “Feel better?”  


Aloy recoiled as if physically struck, her head bowing as Talanah carefully took hold of her shoulders, partly to comfort her, it seemed, but partly also as she had begun to back into her. A moment later, the older redhead quickly turned and exited the room, once again, leaving the Carja woman to stare after her in silence for a moment before she swallowed heavily and turned back to the Banuk girls.  


“I’m glad you’re awake,” she said softly. “You need time, though. I get it.”  


With that, she turned and quickly followed Aloy out, the sound of her jogging footsteps quickly receding down the hallway as the sound of her voice echoing about the metal space outside reached them just before the door slid closed, once again.  


After several moments of total silence, Anukai let out a growl of rage and slammed her hand down on the pillow to her right, her jaw working tensely.  


“Not going to say I was wrong?” she finally said, glancing over at Ikrie to find the dark-haired girl shaking her head.  


“I can’t say I feel that much differently.”  


Anukai suddenly paused, her eyes searching over the dark-haired girl’s face as she kept her eyes cast downward, focusing on her free hand that played with part of her leggings restlessly. The redhead found the tension and fire that had built in her chest a moment ago quickly dissipating as she swallowed the hard lump in her throat, instead turning back to focusing on standing, once again.  


After another attempt or two, she was able to shakily rise to her feet, partially supported by Ikrie. As soon as she tried to take a step, however, she felt her balance tipping wildly to her left, and she instinctively tried to throw her arm out, only for it to only throw her more off-balance. The dark-haired girl quickly caught her, however, wrapping her arms around the redhead’s chest and holding her upright at the last second.  


“Easy… easy…”  


Anukai sighed, shaking her head as she let Ikrie lead her back to the bed, where she took a seat on the edge of it, once again.  


“Let’s… give it a little bit before we try again,” the dark-haired girl sighed, straightening up and twisting her back slowly before clapping her hands before her. “Vansa said you should eat. You feeling hungry at all?”  


Anukai shrugged.  


“I could try.”  


“I’ll be right back, then.”  


As Ikrie turned to leave, she paused, seemingly remembering something as she reached into a pouch on her belt. A moment later, she produced a small, triangular piece of metal, which she offered to Anukai. The redhead took it, turning it over in her fingers a few times before running her thumb across the soft, blue circle of light on one side.  


“If you need me while I’m gone…” Ikrie said, holding up another, similar Focus before sliding it beside her right ear.  


Anukai nodded, slipping hers on as the dark-haired girl leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on her forehead before finally turning and slipping out of the room. The redhead sighed, glancing around at the lines and glyphs of light that surrounded her, lazily watching as they shifted with the turn of her head.  


After a few moments, her gaze, instead, turned to her left arm. A shiver ran down her spine as she noted how the Focus displayed the blue outline of her body up until the start of the metal portion, after which it was much darker, although its general shape was outlined. With a heavy sigh, she tapped the side of her Focus, returning her body and the room to their normal colors and brightness.  


Anukai’s gaze remained on her arm, though, a frown settled onto her features as she stared down at the mostly limp appendage, feeling like a heavy, dead weight at her side. Her jaw worked tensely as Vansa’s affirmations that she would be able to use it again, hopefully soon, drifted through the back of her mind. Finally, she took a deep breath, focusing intently on the metal hand at the end.  


She concentrated on willing it to move, to close into a fist, but no matter what she did, it didn’t seem to work. With a sigh of frustration, she turned her gaze to her right hand, clenching it into a fist several times while trying to consciously think about what she was doing, and how she was doing it. After another heavy shiver ran down her spine, she turned back to her left arm, once again.  


“Okay…”  


Once again, she attempted to focus on the left hand, willing the fingers to close into a fist. No matter how many different ways she thought about it, or attempted to will it into cooperating through brute force, nothing seemed to work, however, and she let out a growl of frustration, gripping the edge of the bed with as much strength as she could muster, feeling the hard metal beneath the blanket dig into the palm of her hand slightly.  


A moment later, something made the hair on the back of her neck stand up and she paused, staring blankly at the ground a few feet before her. She slowly turned to her right hand, taking in the white knuckles and strained tendons as she clenched her hand tightly beside her, but her gaze soon drifted to her left side. As it did, her eyes widened and she felt her breath catch in her throat.  


The metal hand at the end of her left arm was also clenched tightly around the edge of the bed, just as her right was.  


In her surprise, she released her right hand, only for the fingers of the left to also shoot open, but quickly fall as still as before.  


Anukai’s heart rate began to race as she stared down at the metal appendage, laboriously turning it over with the help of her other hand, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t make it move, as it had a moment ago. Just then, the sound of the door to the room sliding open caused her to jump in surprise, yet again, nearly falling off the side of the bed.  


Ikrie stopped short, a metal plate in each hand, as she locked eyes with Anukai.  


“What’s wrong?” she said, quickly stepping inside the room and letting the door slide closed behind her.  


“N-nothing, just… surprised me,” the redhead replied quickly, brushing some hair out of her face as nonchalantly as she could, despite how badly she felt her fingers trembling.  


Ikrie didn’t look convinced, but made her way to the bed, taking care to place Anukai’s plate to her ride sight before taking a seat on her left.  


“I got you some of that bread you seemed to like so much the first night,” she said, grinning.  


Anukai glanced down at her plate to find a small cube of the strange, yellow-tinged bread was indeed sitting to one side. A grin tugged at her lips as she grabbed it, biting half of it off immediately and turning back to Ikrie.  


“Thanks,” she mumbled through a mouthful of food.  


The dark-haired girl made a face of disgust as she turned to her plate, picking a piece of meat off it and popping it into her mouth. Anukai quickly finished the piece of bread, but as she did, she found that it sat much heavier in her stomach than she remembered, and she paused, taking care to breathe in carefully through her nose and out through her mouth.  


“You okay?”  


The redhead nodded a little too quickly and she felt a feeling of nausea rise in her throat, prompting her to fall still a moment later.  


“Take it slow…” Ikrie said softly, reaching over to rub her back gently. “Listen to what your body tells you…”  


Anukai let out a short, dry laugh.  


“Isn’t it supposed to do what I tell it?”  


“Not when you’re sick.”  


“I’m not _sick_ , Ikrie.”  


The dark-haired girl’s hand fell still on her back, and Anukai quickly felt her heart beat rising, a tight feeling appearing in her chest.  


“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”  


Ikrie carefully set her plate down beside her before sliding closer to Anukai, wrapping the arm behind her back around her more securely.  


“I know, this… you’re not used to this,” the dark-haired girl said softly, “but… I only want to help you.”  


“I know,” Anukai shot back quickly, turning her head toward her. “I’m… not good at listening, though. You know that.”  


Ikrie smirked as she laughed softly, leaning in to place a soft kiss on the redhead’s cheek.  


“Oh, believe me… I know.”  


They fell silent, once again, as Ikrie continued to finish her plate off, while Anukai picked at pieces here and there, managing to keep the nauseous feeling down as much as she could. Finally, once the dark-haired girl had finished her food and set her plate on the floor, she sat on the bed beside the redhead, crossing her legs before her.  


“So… a week,” Anukai said slowly.  


“You were hurt…”  


“I know, just… it still feels… not real.”  


As she glanced over at Ikrie, she found her frowning, playing with part of her leggings, once again.  


“So what happened after I… well, after I don’t remember?”  


The dark-haired girl sighed, shrugging.  


“Aloy wanted to use GAIA to shut down the machines, and… we did.”  


“That’s it?”  


“After… we did that,” she continued slowly, “GAIA told her about a message that came in with that signal that restarted all the machines.”  


“A message?”  


Ikrie nodded.  


“For whom?”  


“For Aloy, it seems.”  


Anukai’s jaw tightened as she paused, piece of meat she had picked off her plate halfway to her mouth.  


“From Elisabet?”  


Ikrie shook her head.  


“I don’t know who it was from, but… it scared her… a lot.”  


Anukai laughed dryly.  


“If it’s from her past, I’m sure it did.”  


Ikrie paused, biting her lower lip for a moment before she cleared her throat.  


“I’m not… happy with her, necessarily,” she said slowly, “but is this about what you told me about that place, Sunfall?”  


“That… some other things,” Anukai shrugged.  


“Did you… dream more of them?”  


The Banuk redhead paused, sighing.  


“I don’t know.”  


“Anukai…”  


“I actually don’t know!” she shot back. “I would tell you, if I did, but… I don’t.”  


The dark-haired girl fell silent as Anukai finished what she could of her food before passing the plate to Ikrie.  


“You need it,” she replied quietly, trying to push it back to the redhead.  


“I can’t eat it.”  


Ikrie frowned, but took the plate form her, grabbing one or two pieces off of it before placing it atop hers on the floor.  


“How soon do you think I’ll be able to leave this room?” Anukai asked dryly, gingerly rubbing at her left leg.  


“As soon as you’re able.”  


“That’s not helpful.”  


“I’m sorry, Anukai, I…”  


The redhead glanced over at her to find Ikrie’s head shaking slowly, her shoulders slumped.  


“I understand, but I also don’t want to see you hurt anymore.”  


The redhead offered a small smile, attempting to reach toward her, only to feel how her left arm dragged like a deadweight beside her as she tried to lift it. Anukai’s jaw clenched as she stared down at the metal portion, a fire quickly building in her chest. A moment later, Ikrie had hopped off the bed, standing before her and holding Anukai’s head in her hands, turning her gaze to her, rather than toward her arm.  


“You’ll get there,” she said softly.  


“Sure, but… even if I can learn how to move it—”  


“ _Once_ you learn.”  


Anukai sighed, unable to look away as Ikrie held her head in place.  


“ _Once_ I learn how to move it… that doesn’t mean it’ll be entirely the same.”  


“Maybe not entirely, but according to Vansa, you’ll be able to do everything you could before.”  


“Sure, but… I mean…”  


Anukai reached up with her right hand, gently gripping one of Ikrie’s beside her face before reaching toward the dark-haired huntress’s, gently laying it beside her cheek and running her thumb across it. The other girl let out a soft “oh” as she swallowed heavily.  


“I don’t care,” she said.  


“It hasn’t happened yet.”  


“I won’t care then, either.”  


“But—”  


“You may have lost your arm, Anukai,” Ikrie said firmly, “but the rest of you is still here.”  


The redhead felt a strange, fluttering sensation combined with a tight, constricting feeling that, together, sent a shiver down her spine.  


“We’ll… learn and… figure everything out… _together_.”  


The door to the room opened, once again, prompting both girls to jump and whirl toward it, Ikrie’s hands slipping from beside Anukai’s face. The redhead sighed in relief when she saw Vansa entering, wiping at her forehead with the back of her hand.  


“You ate,” she commented nodding toward the plates on the floor as she approached. “How’re you feeling?”  


Anukai shrugged.  


“I’ll feel better once I can walk, at least.”  


“Leg still a little painful, huh?” Vansa frowned, glancing down at her left leg for a moment before looking back up at her. “From what I heard, I’m shocked it wasn’t broken… or, well, at least not to an extreme degree. We bound it with a splint for a bit, but Aloy used one of your miracle devices there to tell us it probably wasn’t needed.”  


Anukai’s jaw clenched tightly, but she simply nodded, humming a sound like “huh” as she glanced down at her leg, once again.  


“Anyway, that plus the fact that you’ve been lying down all week means that you’ve gotta remind your muscles they know how to move.”  


“How do I do that?”  


Vansa signaled for Ikrie to move to the redhead’s right, and they both carefully took hold of her arms, helping her slowly rise to a standing position. The healer woman pointed to the far wall, asking Anukai to walk toward it as best she could. The redhead’s knees shook slightly as she began to take her first tentative steps, pain shooting down her left leg, although the most intense portion was focused just above her knee.  


Slowly but surely, and with the help of the women to either side of her, she made her way to the far wall. With encouragement from Vansa, they turned to make the return trip to the bed. They then repeated this back and forth pattern several times until Anukai noted how her knees no longer seemed to shake uncontrollably, although she still didn’t feel her usual strength in her stance.  


“Look at you,” Vansa laughed. “So, take it slow, but you’re gonna do this one on your own.”  


Vansa and Ikrie carefully released the redhead’s arms, but remained close at her side as she began to slowly walk toward the wall, once again. She quickly noted how the weight from her left arm added an extra challenge to her balance that she hadn’t expected. Still, she grit her teeth and continued her path, reaching the wall before turning around, once again, and making her way back to the bed.  


“And just like that, you’re back on your feet!” Vansa said, laughing. “Well—mostly. I’d say try not to go too far without Ikrie, and keep it slow. You aren’t about to go running around quite yet, but you don’t have to stay trapped in here, either.”  


“Great,” Anukai sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, once again.  


“Any additional pain after all that?” the healer woman asked, eyebrows raising.  


“Nothing new, no,” the redhead laughed.  


“Great. Let’s take things one at a time,” she continued, nodding. “We’ll get to your arm, there, soon—”  


“Today?”  


Vansa sighed, shaking her head.  


“Let’s give it until tomorrow.”  


Anukai frowned, but nodded.  


“I promise we’ll get there,” Vansa replied. “We don’t want to overwhelm you, though.”  


The redhead shrugged, but didn’t look entirely convinced.  


“Like I said, you’re not my first,” the healer woman replied. “Trust in the process.”  


Anukai begrudgingly nodded as Vansa clapper her hands together before her.  


“I’ll leave you two to it,” she said, glancing between the Banuk girls. “If you need me, find me. I’ll be wandering around.”  


With that, the healer woman made her exit, once again. As soon as she had stepped outside, Anukai rose to her feet, groaning softly.  


“You okay?”  


“Fine,” she said shortly. “I’m sick of this room, though.”  


“You sure you’re good to walk—”  


“You heard her. You saw.”  


Ikrie frowned slightly as the redhead sighed, gently placing her right hand on the dark-haired girl’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly.  


“You know that the one thing I deal with worse than being sick or injured is just sitting around,” she said softly, grinning.  


The dark-haired girl attempted to smile, but it wasn’t entirely convincing. Anukai squeezed her shoulder one last time before turning in place, glancing about the room.  


“What’re you looking for?”  


“Do I have any other clothing?” she asked. “This isn’t what I’d usually like to wear while just wandering around near random people.”  


“Well, uh… your tunic was… not in good shape,” Ikrie said, laughing nervously. “So… no, unfortunately, not unless you ask—”  


“Ara, is she okay?” Anukai suddenly interrupted, her eyebrows raising.  


The dark-haired girl paused for a moment before clearing her throat.  


“She survived, yeah.”  


“Why don’t we see if we can pay her a visit.”  


Ikrie nodded, gathering the plates from the floor near the bed before stepping beside Anukai. With a nod toward the door, they began to make their way toward it, Ikrie tapping the box of blue light beside it to open the portal with a synthetic chime and a soft hiss. As they stepped into the hallway beyond, the redhead glanced around, trying to get her bearings, but every surface was metal and there were no immediate identifiers that told her where she was in the bunker.  


“This way.”  


Ikrie led the way to their right until they reached an intersection with another perpendicular hallway. The dark-haired girl took another right, and as they continued, Anukai noted the large scratches in the floors and walls of the current hallway. Instantly, memories of a skittering, jet-black machine with a single glowing, red eye charging at her flashed before the redhead’s eyes, and she swallowed the heavy lump in her throat, her right hand clenching into a tight fist at her side.  


Still, she remained quiet as Ikrie turned to a door on their right, opening it to reveal the dining hall Anukai remembered from their first night in the bunker. There were not many people inside, but still, she waited against the wall by the door as the dark-haired girl entered. The door slid closed behind her as the redhead leaned her back against the wall, only to recoil away when the cold metal touched the exposed skin on the back of her shoulders. A forceful shiver ran down her spine as she attempted to fold her arms over her chest, only to pause mid-motion as she glanced down at her left arm, frowning.  


“Right…”  


With a sigh, she turned her attention to scanning about the hallway, once again, taking in the soot that still seemed to coat the floor and walls several yards to her right, along with a streak of something dark and red in the middle of the floor. Her lips pulled into a thin line as she stared down at the dried blood stain, only for her reverie to be broken when the door beside her opened, once again. Ikrie exited, along with a few others, and came to a stop before Anukai.  


“Ara’s this way, if you still want to see her.”  


The redhead nodded, falling in step beside the dark-haired girl. Once the others who had left the dining hall had gained several yards on them, Anukai cleared her throat.  


“They haven’t cleaned any of this?” she asked softly.  


“Haven’t had a means to,” Ikrie sighed. “If you hadn’t gathered, not everyone made it through that day, and those left… well, cleaning walls and floors hasn’t exactly been the first thing on their minds.”  


The Banuk girls fell silent as they reached the intersection before the lift back to the surface, Anukai eying its doors for a moment before she followed Ikrie down the hallway to their right. After they had passed several doors, they came to a stop before one on the right. The dark-haired girl knocked on the metal portal before taking a step back, waiting with Anukai. Several long moments passed before the familiar chime sounded and the metal portal slid open, revealing the familiar image of another redhead in the doorway.  


The all-too familiar pair of gold-green hazel eyes locked with Anukai’s as Ara jumped slightly, but her expression quickly turned to a smirk as she eyed the Banuk redhead up and down.  


“Back on your feet,” she said, laughing softly. “Come in.”  


She turned to walk back into the room while Ikrie gestured for Anukai to enter first. The redhead slowly entered, the dark-haired girl bringing up the rear behind her. The room beyond was mostly the same as Anukai remembered, with a ledge on the far side laden with candles and other, assorted personal belongings, although she did note that a pile of blood-soaked bandages now sat piled on the floor before it.  


“I’m glad to see you up and about.”  


Anukai jumped slightly, turning her attention back to Ara as the other redhead took a seat on a metal bench pushed up against the wall to the right. The newer redhead’s hair, while still shaved close on the sides, was no longer tied back in the center, but instead appeared to be simply flopped backward, although as she moved and turned her head, strands continued to spill to one side or the other. The Banuk redhead nodded, remaining silent as she eyed the bandage still wound about the other girl’s left forearm.  


“I was worried we were going to share the same fate for a little while,” Ara sighed, glancing down at her arm, as well. “Vansa did good work on us both, though.”  


Anukai’s lips pulled into a thin line as the other redhead’s grin fell and she cleared her throat.  


“In all seriousness, I’m glad you’re alive,” Ara continued. “Ikrie, here, was near inconsolable for a day or two.”  


Anukai raised her eyebrows as she glanced over at the dark-haired girl to find her head bowed, not meeting her gaze in return.  


“You’re lucky.”  


“Not everyone loses a limb and lives, I guess,” Anukai shrugged.  


“Well, yes, but that’s not what I meant,” Ara replied slowly.  


She nodded toward Ikrie as realization came over the Banuk redhead’s features, her face growing warm as she glanced toward Ikrie.  


“So,” Anukai said, clearing her throat, “Vansa said that she’s… worked with… someone in a similar situation?”  


“To you?” Ara replied, nodding. “She and her father learned a lot from the doctors in Reva.”  


“Reva? Where’s that?”  


“A city to the Northwest,” the other redhead replied. “A modern city built amidst the rusted bones of an ancient one.”  


“Like the one where you found us?”  


“Somewhat like that, yeah.”  


“But people actually live there, now.”  


“Thrive there, actually,” Ara nodded. “They’ve learned how to master machines like few others I’ve ever seen or heard of.”  


“Master as in…?” Anukai trailed off, gesturing to her arm.  


“Yes, but also like the kind you find up there,” Ara said, gesturing over her head. “Taming, repairing, augmenting, building new ones…”  


“They can build new machines?” Ikrie interjected, her tone incredulous.  


“So I’ve heard,” the other redhead nodded. “From what I saw, it was primarily smaller things, sort of like the consoles and such you’ve seen around here, but everywhere—in homes, in pubs, in public spaces…”  


“What do they do?” Anukai asked.  


“All kinds of things. Generally seems to make life easier.”  


“So then why didn’t you stay there?” Ikrie chimed in. “Why come out here to the middle of nowhere?”  


Ara laughed, shrugging.  


“We’re restless spirits, I guess,” she replied. “Didn’t like being in one place for too long. We heard the rumor about this place, and wanted to know for ourselves. That and… well, let’s say if you’re not completely ‘in’ with the people who run that city, your life can be a little difficult.”  


“Who runs the city, then?” Anukai pressed.  


“A group with strong ties to the Mountain of Ashen Rain.”  


Confusion creased both younger girls’ faces as Ara sighed.  


“It’s further to the Northwest, on the coast.”  


“Have you been there?” the Banuk redhead asked eagerly, her heart rate beginning to increase.  


Ara shook her head, prompting Anukai’s face to fall slightly.  


“None of us have,” she explained. “The way there’s only gotten more dangerous over time. Between the terrain, itself, and aggressive machines… it’s usually just not worth it to go that way.”  


The Banuk girls nodded slowly, silence falling over the trio for several long moments before Ara cleared her throat.  


“So, did you come to visit me just to ask about other places? Looking to plan a vacation?”  


The Banuk girls laughed as Ara grinned.  


“Actually,” Anukai began, “I was… wondering if I may be able to borrow some clothing.”  


The newer redhead stared back at her with her same grin for several long moments before she laughed loudly, tilting her head back. Anukai shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at Ikrie.  


“I suppose that makes a lot of sense,” Ara finally said. “I take it you didn’t usually run around in only that tunic.”  


The Banuk redhead shook her head, frowning slightly. Ara sighed, hopping off the metal bench where she sat and making her way over to the ledge at the back of the room. She sifted through some of the possessions on it before pulling something free and turning to toss it to Anukai. The Banuk redhead caught it with one hand, shaking the article of clothing open to reveal a tunic made of brown leather, the seams seemingly sewed with red and gold stitching. She noted that like Ara’s clothing, it appeared to have a few patches that had been applied, herself, scattered about it.  


“I happen to have a spare,” Ara grinned. “Keep it.”  


Anukai nodded, attempting to pull it over her head, but finding that she was unable to pull her left arm up and through the opening, so she had to attempt again, this time threading her arm through the garment, first, before pulling it over her head. As it fell in place, she glanced down at herself, noting that the tunic didn’t have any sleeves, but it did fit better than almost any other piece of clothing she had purchased.  


“You know, if it weren’t for the hair, people probably would have a hard time telling us apart,” Ara commented, scanning over Anukai as she grinned.  


“Well, that’s good, because it’s not changing,” the Banuk redhead sighed.  


“Fair enough.”  


As Anukai glanced to Ikrie, she found her lips pulled into a thin line, and she had a feeling the same memory was running through the dark-haired girl’s mind, as was through hers. An offhand comment in response to her repeated jesting about her often-braided mane and how she should match Ikrie’s shorter hairstyle.  


“ _It’d feel like losing a part of myself._ ”  


Anukai knew the feeling all too well, right then.


	2. Reconnection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday.
> 
> The alternate title for this chapter could've been "Oops! All Angst!"
> 
> Come along, won't you?

“So, have you spoken to Aloy, yet?”  


The Banuk redhead inhaled deeply through her nose before shaking her head, her lips pulled into a tight line. When she glanced back over at Ara, the newer redhead nodded slowly, an expression of understanding falling over her features.  


“She’s… she was concerned, too,” she said quietly.  


Anukai let out a short, dry laugh.  


“I can imagine.”  


“No, I mean…” Ara began, pausing and letting out a heavy sigh. “Listen, I think I remember one of you saying that you had only known each other for a few days before we met, but that kind of reaction… that’s not one I’ve seen someone have over a near-total stranger.”  


The Banuk redhead’s jaw worked tensely as the newer redhead sighed, shaking her head.  


“You don’t have to listen to me. I just thought you should know.”  


Anukai nodded curtly, glancing over at her, once again.  


“Thanks.”  


With that, she bid the newer redhead goodbye and led the way back into the hallway outside, Ikrie hurrying to catch up. As soon as they had reached the intersection with the route leading to the main elevator out of the bunker, she came to a stop, glancing toward its doors.  


“What’re you thinking?”  


“That I need… out of this place for a bit, at least.”  


“Is that such a good idea right now?”  


“Why wouldn’t it be?” Anukai replied, glancing over at the dark-haired girl beside her.  


“Just… you just got back on your feet, and going back up into a desert where we don’t know what’s up there at any given time…”  


“I’m not going to get killed just setting foot above ground,” the redhead growled.  


“Anukai, I know you don’t like any of this, but _please_ listen to me…”  


The redhead stared back at her for several long moments before sighing heavily.  


“Fine, then what would you suggest we do to pass all this time we suddenly have, instead?”  


Ikrie opened her mouth to reply, but ultimately let out a dejected sigh, her shoulders sagging.  


“I don’t know…”  


The redhead’s jaw worked tensely for several moments before her gaze settled on her left arm, yet again, the metal portion suddenly feeling much heavier as she acknowledged it. With a growl of frustration, she began to stalk forward, not paying attention to where exactly she was going. The sound of Ikrie scrambling to catch up echoed from behind her, the dark-haired girl appearing at her side a moment later, but she didn’t move to stop her.  


They continued in silence for several minutes, Anukai taking turns in the various hallways without slowing her pace, all while Ikrie remained silent beside her. Finally, after the redhead took a left into yet another, nearly identical corridor, she let out a cry of frustration, throwing her right arm into the air and turning in place.  


“Everything looks the same!”  


“Where are you trying to go?”  


“I don’t know that… that room where Ara first showed us the signal.”  


An expression of concern passed over Ikrie’s face for a moment before she swallowed nervously and shrugged.  


“I don’t know how to get there, sorry.”  


Anukai’s jaw worked tensely for several moments before the dark-haired girl continued, her voice much quieter.  


“Why do you want to go there?”  


“Because then I can see what happened down in that room, maybe.”  


“I told you—”  


“Fine, then it’s somewhere to go!”  


The redhead whirled on Ikrie, the dark-haired girl recoiling at the volume of her voice and the abruptness of her motion.  


“Anukai…”  


“I hate this!” the redhead continued, her voice at a near scream. “I hate feeling like this! I hate that— _this_ —happened to me!”  


She gestured angrily at her left arm, yet again.  


“I hate that I made us come out here! I hate… hate that I just believed so many people… people I didn’t even know!”  


Ikrie looked as if she wanted to step closer, but as the redhead continued to pace about, flailing her good arm angrily with each statement, she held back, biting her lower lip slightly. Finally, Anukai came to a stop in the center of the hallway, her head bowed slightly as her chest continued to heave.  


“You were right.”  


After several long moments of silence that followed, Ikrie nervously cleared her throat.  


“About what?”  


“Everything.”  


The oppressive silence returned for several moments as Anukai began to shake her head.  


“We never should have gone into that room in Thunder’s Drum. We never should have left the Cut.”  


“We didn’t know—”  


“ _You_ did,” she said, suddenly lifting her head to look toward Ikrie, once again. “You told me not to enter that room, to not go near the red light… maybe that was it. I cursed us both.”  


“You didn’t curse us,” the dark-haired girl sighed. “Yes, things have not… gone as either of us could have imagined or hoped.”  


Anukai let out a short, dry laugh, but otherwise remained quiet.  


“But we’re here now, and we have to keep moving on.”  


The redhead still didn’t look convinced, chewing the inside of her cheek as she stared down at the ground before her.  


“Maybe now… we’ve got some more blue light on our side.”  


Confusion creased Anukai’s face as she turned back to Ikrie to find the girl had finally approached her, gently laying one hand on the metal portion of her left arm. The redhead shivered as her mind wanted to connect the touch with the sensation of feeling something, but nothing came.  


“The greatest Banuk…” she began slowly, “took the blue light into herself… used machines to heal herself…”  


Anukai’s jaw began to work tensely as Ikrie continued, the dark-haired girl staring back at her with an expression that she could only call pleading.  


“You know… what they’ve always said about the Blue Light,” she began slowly.  


The dark-haired girl swallowed nervously, but nodded slowly.  


“That it can never be housed in a person… because they’re not pure enough… can’t withstand its power.”  


“But—”  


“So if I can… what does that make me?”  


Confusion creased Ikrie’s face as her hand slowly began to slide off the metal appendage.  


“W-what do you mean?”  


“If no person,” Anukai began, her tone rising in intensity as her chest began to heave, “can house the Blue Light, but you’re saying that I can… what does that make _me_?!”  


By the end of her question, the redhead’s voice had risen to a near shouting volume, once again as Ikrie recoiled, taking a step or two back.  


“I-I was… I wasn’t saying…”  


“What does it make me?!” Anukai repeated, her right hand clenching tightly into a fist. “Something else? Something not a person? Less? More?”  


“Anukai, I wasn’t—”  


“I didn’t ask for this!” the redhead shrieked, gesturing to her arm. “I didn’t want this— _thing_ —in me!”  


“If they didn’t, you’d—”  


“Maybe that would have been better!”  


Ikrie’s face instantly went pale as she froze, her eyes widening. Anukai continued to glare back at her for several moments until she noted the tears that had welled in the corners of the dark-haired girl’s eyes, quickly spilling onto the field of freckles below them.  


“Please… don’t say that,” she said softly. “I-I can’t… you can’t mean it.”  


The redhead’s jaw clenched tightly as she turned away from Ikrie, unable to meet her gaze any longer. Almost immediately, the dark-haired girl appeared at her side, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her in place before bringing her to a stop with a firm grip.  


“Tell me you don’t mean it!” she demanded.  


Anukai was forced to stare back at the distraught expression of the dark-haired girl across from her, unable to turn away from her iron grip on her shoulders. As she did, the fire in her chest seemed to extinguish at once, instead encasing her in a tight, painful feeling that felt as if ice had frozen inside her ribs, preventing her from breathing and her heart from beating.  


“Please!” Ikrie continued, her voice cracking.  


“I-I don’t… I didn’t mean to…”  


The dark-haired girl stared back at her for several long moments, tears flowing freely over her face before she let out another sob, quickly sliding her hands from the redhead’s shoulders as she wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into an embrace tight enough that Anukai could feel every sob, every shake that wracked her body rippling through her own. The redhead swallowed the heavy lump in her throat as she did her best to return the embrace with one arm.  


Finally, after what felt like hours standing in the middle of the empty hallway, Ikrie began to release her, taking a step back and wiping at her eyes with the backs of her hands.  


“So… regardless…” Anukai said slowly, glancing down at her left arm. “I can’t just keep having this hanging here like dead weight.”  


Ikrie grimaced at her choice of words, but nodded in understanding.  


“I don’t care what Vansa said,” the redhead continued, looking back up at Ikrie. “Let’s find her, and get whatever this process of hers is going.”  


The dark-haired girl didn’t argue as they began to attempt to make their way back through the maze of hallways Anukai had led them down earlier, although they quickly realized that neither of them had been paying enough attention to navigate on their own.  


“Great…” the redhead sighed heavily, turning in place. “Now what?”  


When she finally turned back to Ikrie, she found her tapping the Focus beside her right ear.  


“GAIA…?” the dark-haired girl said tentatively.  


Surprise crossed the redhead’s features for a moment before the sound of a soft, feminine voice in her own ear broke her out of her reverie.  


“Yes, Ikrie?”  


“How do we get back to where everyone else is?”  


A moment later, a line of blue light appeared on the floor, leading away to Anukai’s left. Ikrie jumped, gasping slightly at the sight of the projection.  


“I have charted a course based on layout information of this facility.”  


“T-Thanks…” Ikrie muttered, glancing over at Anukai. “So… we just follow this?”  


Anukai nodded, and with a sigh, Ikrie gestured down the hallway they had just left.  


“Shall we?”  


As they began the march along the blue line on the floor, the dark-haired girl cleared her throat.  


“Is this what… you saw in the palace… and in the desert, when we chased after Aloy and Talanah?”  


Anukai nodded, still remaining silent.  


“Helpful…”  


Eventually, they found themselves approaching the familiar intersection of hallways in front of the main entrance, the sound of voices echoing through the metal passageway also telling them they were heading in the right direction. As soon as they reached the crossway, they came to a stop, glancing down the hallway to their right, as well as farther along the one they had been following.  


“Now, where do you think she’d be?”  


Ikrie first led them toward the rooms where the sick and wounded had been set up following the attack, but after wandering the hallways and listening at doorways for several minutes, the Banuk girls turned to each other, shaking their heads.  


“Not here.”  


With that, they made their way back along the main hallway that still bore the signs of the smaller machine’s assault. As they came to the door for the dining hall, Anukai came to a stop, Ikrie quickly backtracking after she had walked several steps ahead.  


“Might as well try here, right?” the redhead said, nodding toward the door.  


The dark-haired girl shrugged.  


“If she’s not, we don’t know where her room is,” Anukai replied.  


“Could ask Ara if we need to.”  


The Banuk redhead paused for a moment, something unreadable passing through her eyes for a moment before she made a vague sound of agreement and turned to move toward the dining hall door. As she pressed the square of light beside it, the door slid open to reveal the room about half as full as she remembered it from other times, but the thought of why exactly that was the case quickly passed through her mind and Anukai frowned. As she entered the room, she began to scan the figures about her, noting how many of them were much quieter than she remembered, as well, with many sitting by themselves with their heads down over their food.  


Just as the redhead was about to say that they needed to look elsewhere, she caught sight of a familiar figure in the far corner and glanced at Ikrie, nodding toward her and leading the way across the room. As they reached the metal table, they took seats on the bench across from Vansa, the healer’s eyes lifting from her plate. When she caught sight of who sat across from her, she jumped slightly in response, coughing and pounding her hand on her chest for a moment.  


“Scared me,” she wheezed.  


“Sorry.”  


Vansa eventually settled, once again, letting out a heavy sigh as she focused on the girls across from her, once again.  


“I see you seem to be getting around just fine,” she commented. “Trying to eat, again?”  


“Not yet,” Anukai replied, shaking her head. “Came to find you.”  


“Is something wrong? Any pain flare-ups?”  


“No,” the redhead replied, sighing, “I want to get started on using this thing.”  


She gestured to her left arm, prompting Vansa to frown.  


“I told you—”  


“I know, and I can’t wait that long,” Anukai interrupted. “It… I just can’t.”  


The healer woman frowned, leaning her elbows forward on the edge of the table.  


“I don’t want to put too much undue stress on your body, Anukai.”  


“I can take it.”  


Vansa still didn’t look convinced, but sighed, running her hands over her face tiredly.  


“Must be something with the hair…” she muttered, finally throwing her hands up in defeat. “Fine, we can get started today. Let me finish eating and get some sleep, and then we can get going. Say… two hours?”  


Anukai felt her heart sink slightly but she nodded.  


“Meet me outside this door,” Vansa continued, gesturing to the entrance to the dining hall. “We’ll go from there.”  


With that, the Banuk girls left the table, returning to the hallway outside and coming to a stop against the far wall.  


“Two hours…” Anukai sighed.  


“You got your wish, though,” Ikrie pointed out. “You can still start today, you just have to be patient for a little longer.”  


The redhead let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes.  


“Because I have so much of that…”  


“Well, that part isn’t any different.”  


Anukai shot Ikrie a dirty look as the dark-haired girl laughed. After they had both fallen quiet, the redhead found her gaze still focused on the door to the elevator at the end of the hallway. Ikrie followed her gaze before sighing.  


“You really want to go up there?”  


“I want to… do something.”  


“Fine—clearly there’s no convincing you otherwise,” the dark-haired girl sighed, nodding toward the door. “Let’s go.”  


Anukai raised her eyebrows slightly as Ikrie shot her a smirk.  


“Well? You coming?”  


The redhead started after her, quickly matching her pace as they made their way to the elevator. With a twist of her hand over the circle of blue light in the center of the door, the large, metal portal began to slide open. To her surprise, the large door moved relatively quietly, quickly revealing the platform they had originally descended when they had first arrived. As soon as they stepped onto it, Ikrie made her way over to the small panel on the left side, hitting the top button with her fist.  


The door began to slide closed behind them, leaving the platform in the relative darkness, once again. The sound of Ikrie’s footsteps quickly approached Anukai and a moment later she felt the other girl grab her right arm, her hand quickly sliding downward, searching out her hand. Once she found it, her fingers tightly laced with the redhead’s and Anukai squeezed it reassuringly. The floor jerked slightly before beginning to rise upward, following the reverse of the slightly angled track it had taken to descend.  


As Anukai thought back to that first night, the realization that it must have been a week or so ago came over her and a shiver ran down her spine.  


“You okay?”  


“Fine, just… thinking.”  


Ikrie fell silent, once again, as the elevator continued its journey upward, until suddenly the world overhead seemed to open and both girls glanced up. Within moments, the platform had risen into place in the opening on the ground level, finally coming to a stop. As it did, Anukai blinked, glancing around.  


The environment where they had found themselves wasn’t much brighter than the elevator shaft they had just left, and a frown tugged at her lips before she happened to glance toward what remained of the ancient building’s ceiling overhead and caught sight of the glowing shape of the moon overhead.  


“It’s night,” she said softly, her tone somewhat incredulous.  


“Easy to lose track of time down there, huh?” Ikrie replied.  


“Yeah… could say so.”  


With that, the redhead began to lead the way back out of the dilapidated building that hid the entrance to the bunker, Ikrie following closely beside her. Once they stepped into the open ground beyond the last, barely-standing wall, the redhead came to a stop, breathing deeply and slowly.  


“I almost forgot what it felt like.”  


“Fresh air?”  


Anukai nodded, sighing heavily.  


“Doesn’t have the same bite as the Cut, but… better than breathing in all that metal down there.”  


The Banuk girls fell silent as Anukai began to pace slowly, idly kicking at the sand beneath her boots as she simply took in the open feeling of the barren desert. Her gaze swept over the open, sandy ground for a few moments before the sound of Ikrie’s voice brought her attention back to the dark-haired girl.  


“How do you think the Old Ones did it?”  


“Did what?”  


“Lived in places like that… all the time?”  


Anukai shrugged.  


“When you grow up with it being the only thing you know…”  


Ikrie nodded slowly, running one hand through her hair and sighing. With another glance around the open ground, Anukai frowned.  


“Where’d the Striders go?”  


“Hidden.”  


“Where?”  


Ikrie pointed to one of the other ancient structures about a hundred yards away.  


“Inside there. Ara said it would be safer than leaving them out in the open. They keep all of theirs in those buildings, too.”  


Something strange appeared in Anukai’s chest for a moment as she absentmindedly rubbed at it with her right hand. Finally, with a deep breath, she turned back to Ikrie.  


“So, is she the leader?”  


Confusion creased Ikrie’s face.  


“Who?”  


“Ara.”  


“Oh…”  


The dark-haired girl shrugged.  


“Seems to be.”  


Anukai laughed dryly, shaking her head.  


“Aloy works for the Carja king, Ara leads her little tribe out here… starting to make me feel like I missed something.”  


“You had no interest in becoming a shaman,” Ikrie replied, “nor becoming a chieftain. You could have easily done either, but… it wasn’t in our plan.”  


The redhead nodded, staring down at the ground before her as she stopped her pacing.  


“Our plan…” she muttered, shaking her head.  


“We had one.”  


“Did we?”  


“Survive.”  


“Some plan.”  


“We’re still doing it.”  


“Barely.”  


As Anukai glanced back over at Ikrie, once again, she found the dark-haired girl staring back at her with a clenched jaw, the shadow across her face too dark to make out her eyes.  


“Barely is enough, sometimes.”  


Shortly thereafter, Anukai motioned for them to head back inside, and they made their way back to the elevator. As Ikrie hit the button, once again, a wave of fatigue passed over the redhead and she yawned, staggering slightly.  


“Are you okay?”  


Ikrie was instantly at her side, once again, as the elevator began to descend.  


“Yeah, just… tired…”  


“Vansa did tell you to take it easy…”  


“I’ll be fine,” Anukai snapped.  


Ikrie sighed heavily, her expression masked by the darkness of the elevator shaft as they descended.  


“Maybe you could use a quick rest, too, before meeting up with her.”  


Anukai went to complain, but another yawn forced itself out of her and she eventually grumbled an agreement. When the elevator reached the bottom of its path, the beam of red light passed over them, confirming they were “biological life”. Immediately upon entering the well-lit hallways of the metal facility, Ikrie led the way back to the room they had shared on the first night they had arrived. As the door opened to the room, Anukai’s eyes cast over the possessions strewn about it.  


Immediately, her eyes fell on her own against the right wall and her jaw tightened. Ikrie tried to guide her toward the bedroll, made up much better than she had left it, to her memory, but the redhead ignored her as she instead came to a stop before the bow that leaned against the wall. Her right hand slowly reached up to run along the upper curve of it, only to pull back quickly a moment later as she whirled away from it, attempting to step away, but running into Ikrie.  


“Hey, hey, it’s okay…” the dark-haired girl said, quickly catching her with both hands and holding her in place.  


Anukai said nothing, but glared down at her left arm, the fire in her chest only building even more.  


“You’ll get there…”  


“I know I will,” Anukai said shortly, moving as if to say more, but pausing a moment later and falling silent with a heavy sigh.  


Instead, she finally let Ikrie guide her to the bedroll, where she carefully laid atop it, eventually settling on her back as she stared up at the lights in the ceiling overhead. She expected to hear Ikrie falling onto hers a moment later, but instead she heard her footsteps beginning to move toward the door and she lifted her head quickly.  


“Where are you going?”  


Ikrie paused by the door, grinning as she glanced back at her.  


“I’ll be right back.”  


“That… doesn’t answer the question.”  


“I didn’t realize you were so interested in my bodily functions.”  


Anukai’s face quickly turned bright red as she let her head fall back on her bedroll with a quiet “oh”. Ikrie laughed softly before the sound of the door opening drifted to her, and the other girl’s footsteps exited, their echoes quickly fading as the door slid shut, once again.  


The redhead lay still for several long moments before turning her head to the side slightly, glancing past her shoulder toward the weapons and equipment by the bow, her jaw clenching tightly for a moment, once again, before the tension and the fire disappeared, replaced instead with a strange, hollow feeling.  


She let out a huff as she turned to look back up toward the ceiling, but the sound came out much more like a whimper. A hot, burning sensation began to form in the corners of her eyes, and she tried to force it down, clenching her jaw tightly, once again, but she quickly lost the battle as a choked sob escaped her and the first of the tears began to run down her face. A moment later, she forcefully wiped at them with her right hand, but more seemed to instantly replace them.  


A string of quiet, near-whispered curses escaped her as she kept trying to wipe away the trails of water on her cheeks, but it seemed to do nothing as the sobs wracked her chest more and more forcefully. Finally, she gave up trying to wipe at her face, but focused on taking slow, deep breaths, finally bringing the shaky, fluttering feeling in her chest under control. As the last of the sobs escaped her, she realized that her right hand had clenched into a tight fist, and she began to relax it, as well, only to feel a slight stinging sensation in her palm.  


Anukai lifted her hand before her to find three red marks in her skin, the vermilion color beginning to spread and run from them as she let her hand fall by her side, once again. Her gaze focused on the lights above her as she quickly found herself wishing Ikrie would return soon, if only to provide something for her to focus on and not leave her alone with nothing but her thoughts.  


Just as the thought crossed her mind, the sound of voices reached her and she lifted her head, once again, looking toward the door. They only grew louder with each passing second, but the door still remained closed. Just as she thought that they would either pass or enter the room, they simply seemed to… stop.  


Frowning, she focused in on them, trying to make out what they were saying, or if they were familiar. Quickly, she recognized Ikrie’s voice and she made a greater point to focus on the other. It also seemed familiar, and the image of a particular individual with an all-too familiar face, albeit marked with more years under a desert sun, floated before her, and Anukai felt her jaw tensing, once again.  


She struggled to her feet while taking care not to make too much noise, but even still, once she was standing, she paused, waiting to see if either voice had reacted to her motions. When they seemed unperturbed, she slipped over to the door, slowing to a painfully slow pace in the last foot or so, closing her eyes and focusing on the sounds that were unmistakably just on the other side of the door.  


As she did, she found that she began to make out the actual words of the conversation more clearly, and she carefully shifted her position to get even closer.  


“…barely sleep.”  


“I know the feeling.”  


“She seemed steady on her feet, though.”  


“She’s doing well, all things considered, yeah.”  


“Anything with the arm, yet?”  


“Not yet. She convinced Vansa to start with her in a few hours.”  


“Damn, I don’t blame her, though, because—uh—that’s what I would do.”  


Suddenly, the realization of who the other voice belonged to clicked as Anukai felt her right hand clenching into a fist at her side, once again.  


It was hers—her own voice.  


It didn’t belong to an older redhead.  


It belonged to another younger one.  


The tight, burning feeling returned to Anukai’s chest as she opened her eyes, hand moving to unlock the door, but at the last moment, she paused, staring at the glowing light in the center of the metal portal.  


The anger left her suddenly with more questions, quickly draining the fire from her.  


It wasn’t anger at the person the voice belonged to, necessarily.  


It seemed to be…  


She quickly shook her head, moving back to her bedroll and falling onto it, once again. Almost as soon as her back hit the blanket, the sound of the door opening came from across the room, but she didn’t lift her head to look toward it. Ikrie appeared in the corner of her vision a moment later, moving quietly and cautiously until she noticed that Anukai’s eyes were open.  


“I thought you were asleep,” she sighed, taking a place on her own bedroll.  


“Couldn’t.”  


An expression of concern creased the dark-haired girl’s face as she stretched out on her side, propping her head up with one arm.  


“You should. You just saw, it’s the middle of the night.”  


“And I woke up—what—a few hours ago, at best?” Anukai replied, rolling her head to the right to look over at the dark-haired girl.  


“Okay, but… you know it wasn’t the same,” Ikrie sighed.  


Anukai shrugged before turning to stare up at the ceiling, once again. A moment later, Ikrie had appeared at her side, wrapping one arm around the redhead’s right and squeezing her hand gently.  


“Try for me?”  


Anukai laughed softly, shaking her head slowly before sighing and closing her eyes. A moment passed before she felt something soft and slightly wet press against her right temple. The feeling quickly passed, but a moment later she felt Ikrie’s head lean on her right shoulder, the other girl pressing up against her more closely.  


Anukai focused closely on the warmth and pressure against her, trying to locate the same pulse she had clung to earlier, had used to pull herself from the dark void.  


Somehow, though, when she found it, she felt herself letting it drift away, once again.  


Was it any different?  


It couldn’t have been.  


Suddenly, the hollow feeling returned in her chest, but this time it was strong enough that tears didn’t even attempt to form, and her body remained still.  


Not long after, she swore she heard voices around her, once again, but she couldn’t seem to open her eyes. She attempted to move, in general, but found that was fruitless, too. Her heart began to hammer faster and faster as the feeling of floating in a dark void settled into her, once again, and she desperately clung to anything to try to pull her back out of it.  


The voices finally seemed to grow loud and clear enough that she could understand them, so she focused on them as intently as she could. They were familiar, yet again, and she quickly locked on to the one that seemed to be Ikrie’s.  


“No, I’m not leaving.”  


“Ma’am, you’re not going to do anything by being here. We’ll get you when she wakes—”  


“I’m _not_ leaving her!”  


“We don’t know—”  


“By the Sun, she’s not contagious!”  


Confusion suddenly washed over Anukai as the thought that it wasn’t Ikrie’s voice quickly came over her.  


It belonged to a similarly raven-haired huntress, though.  


Just then, she found the dark void had given way to a blurry, but bright wash of oranges and yellows. She blinked several times until the image sharpened and she found herself staring at what appeared to be a window across from her. The light streaming through it was either from sunrise or sunset, but she couldn’t quite figure out which. As her gaze swept over the rest of the room around it, she found that it was yet another entirely unfamiliar space.  


The walls were white, while another bed with a strange, metal railing on its sides sat several yards away from her. Strange machines on metal racks stood beside her own bed, one of them letting out a steady, synthetic chime. Confusion creased her face before a voice from her left side suddenly prompted her to fall still.  


“Goddammit, I…”  


She waited for several long moments before a heavy sigh followed.  


“This was my fault. I took us here, thought… thought you’d be ready.”  


The voice was familiar, but not enough for her to instantly place a face to it, so Anukai attempted to roll her head toward it, although her motions felt sluggish and heavy. Finally, her gaze fell on the figure to the left side of her bed, only taking in a head of red hair as they appeared to be sitting on something, their head down as their hands wrung anxiously between their knees.  


“That was… stupid. Why I did I think that…?”  


Anukai’s gaze happened to catch something on her left arm and she glanced down, only to find that it wasn’t made of a gleaming metal, but was wrapped in a strange, stiff bandage from just below her elbow to her wrist.  


“What does that say if I… if I can’t take care of you?”  


The younger redhead’s confusion only grew as she turned her gaze back to the figure before her, finding her hands had moved to cover her face as her head slowly shook.  


“Maybe they were all right… not the kind of person I could ever be…”  


The figure let out another heavy sigh before clasping her hands between her knees, once again.  


“Not the kind of person I should have been…”  


Slowly, the figure began to lift their head and Anukai found herself quickly closing her eyes, some part of her not wanting them to know she had been listening.  


“But dammit, kiddo… you make me want to be.”  


A moment later, Anukai found herself being shaken awake and she blinked, her eyes open, once again. The image of bright lights before her was quickly blocked out by a head of dark hair, prompting her to blink even more until the image of Ikrie’s face came into focus  


“Don’t want to keep Vansa waiting too long,” she said, grinning. “Wake up…”  


“I’m awake,” Anukai sighed, nodding.  


A moment later, Ikrie leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her forehead, prompting the redhead to fall still. The dark-haired girl leaned back, grinning as Anukai felt her squeeze her right hand gently, as well.  


“Well… then shall we?”  


After Anukai had managed to drag herself to her feet, groaning loudly as she rolled her shoulders and twisted her back, she followed Ikrie toward the door out of their room. The dark-haired girl yawned and rubbed at her eyes tiredly as she led the way into the hallway beyond, prompting the redhead to frown.  


“If you’re tired, you can get some more sleep,” she said.  


“No, I… I’m good.”  


Anukai’s expression conveyed how she was thoroughly unconvinced, but she didn’t press it further. As they continued through the hallways of the facility, she noticed how quiet it was, with even the dining hall seemingly empty for the first time that she could remember as they came to a stop outside its door. Vansa was still nowhere to be seen, so Anukai leaned against the wall, sighing heavily.  


“How long was I asleep for?”  


“Only an hour or so,” Ikrie shrugged. “GAIA woke me up after she couldn’t wake you.”  


A heavy lump appeared in Anukai’s throat, but she quickly swallowed it down as she nodded. A few moments later, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the hallway to her left and she glanced toward them. As she did, Vansa appeared from around the corner, yawning. When she caught sight of the Banuk girls, she quickly tried to stifle it, clapping her hands together before her as she approached.  


“All right, you ready?” she said.  


Anukai nodded, quickly pushing away from the wall.  


“Follow me.”  


With that, she led them both down the main hallway until they reached another one several down from where Anukai remembered waking up earlier that day. Vansa led them to a door on the left side and tapped the box of blue light beside it. As the door slid open, the room beyond remained dark for a moment until the healer woman stepped inside and it began to illuminate slowly, with a flickering light from overhead.  


As Anukai tentatively followed her, the light seemed to settle and become constant, revealing the room to be packed with what appeared to be various large machines, the like of which she had never seen before. The ones on the left and right sides of the room seemed to be almost like metal beds with large, glass covers over them, the one on the right left open. The one on the left was still closed, but Anukai could just make out a shape inside it.  


As she approached, she froze in place, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. The shape inside seemed like a person, at first glance, but was made of metal. Images of a similar machine man inside the Nora mountain flashed before her and she swallowed painfully, her gaze quickly travelling to the left side of the machine before her. She quickly turned away as she noted that it was missing an arm.  


“Okay, so, learning to use your arm there is going to take some concentration, at first,” Vansa began, approaching what appeared to be a large console at the far side of the room and waving her hand over it, bringing various boxes of light to life over it, “but once the connection’s firmly established, it’ll be effortless.”  


“Connection?”  


“Between your mind and the arm,” Vansa nodded, glancing back at her. “If you haven’t noticed, it may be a little difficult, at first, because neither of you are used to each other.”  


“You make it sound like it’s a completely separate… thing.”  


“For right now, it is.”  


A shiver ran down Anukai’s spine as Vansa began to tap at some of the boxes above the console.  


“First thing’s first, let me just double check, one more time, to make sure everything’s physically okay.”  


With one last tap of the boxes, another one appeared over them all, a white bar slowly growing from the left to right side of it. Vansa turned from it, however, and approached Anukai, gesturing to her left arm.  


“May I?”  


The redhead nodded and the healer woman carefully began to poke and prod around the skin where it met the metal, moving around her to examine it from all sides, and lifting her arm slightly to make sure she could feel all the way around it. Vansa’s fingers quickly slid up and toward Anukai’s shoulder, prompting her to glance over at her.  


“Any general pain when I touch around it?”  


Anukai shook her head.  


“That’s good,” Vansa muttered. “No discoloration or signs of infection… doesn’t seem to be rejecting it…”  


“Rejecting it?!”  


“It can happen,” the healer woman sighed. “Some bodies don’t take well to synthetic parts.”  


Anukai’s teeth ground as she glared down at the metal appendage.  


“And almost all people object to them, at first,” Vansa continued, patting Anukai on her shoulder and drawing her attention back up to her. “You’re not the first there, either.”  


The redhead remained silent, however, as the healer woman made her way back over to the console, drawing something from what appeared to be a small quiver on her belt, and holding it over the box of light that had turned green as soon as the white bar had crossed it. A few moments later, the device in her hand made a strange, synthetic whirring sound, followed by a soft chime, before Vansa nodded, turning back to Anukai.  


“Okay, let’s bring’er online.”  


“What do you mean?” the redhead said quickly, eying the small, metal tool in her hand.  


“Like I said, you need to establish a connection between your mind and the limb,” Vansa continued, approaching her as Anukai unconsciously recoiled away from her slightly. “I didn’t attempt to start that while you were out because… well, because like I said, it may not have physically worked out, anyway.”  


“So what is that going to do?”  


Vansa held up the small tool for Anukai to see.  


“Think of this as like the flint for a fire,” she said. “It’ll create a bit of a spark—not exactly literally—to get everything going.”  


The redhead glanced toward Ikrie as she swallowed nervously, prompting the dark-haired girl to quickly move to her side, gripping her right hand securely.  


“Now, at first, you may feel a little pinch…”  


Vansa held the device over Anukai’s left arm, pressing a button its top and projected a small line of blue light. The device let out a small, synthetic chime and she slowly began to move it along the limb, until it had passed over the fingers of the hand at the end. As she moved the tool, however, Anukai could feel a tight, painful feeling building in her left shoulder, where the last piece of her actual arm met the metal appendage.  


At first it was simply uncomfortable, but as Vansa reached the hand, it began to grow into actual pain, prompting the redhead to clench her jaw tightly, unconsciously gripping Ikrie’s hand in a vice grip. She heard the dark-haired girl muttering something softly that seemed to be reassurances, but she couldn’t focus on her words as the pain seemed to reach its peak.  


It felt as if small tendrils of fire were extending upward from the arm, passing into her shoulder and running across her back and up her neck. An uncontrollable whimper escaped her as she closed her eyes tightly.  


“It’ll pass, it’ll pass,” Vansa said quickly. “Just breathe. In… out…”  


Anukai tried her best to match her pace, but her heart was hammering too fast, and it felt like she wasn’t getting enough air, so she panicked and her breathing began to match the pace of her heart beat.  


“Slow down, slow down, you’re going to pass out like that.”  


The redhead clenched her jaw, attempting to slow her breathing, once again, as a sudden jolt of white hot pain shot into her shoulder and a cry escaped her, prompting two pairs of hands to suddenly take hold of her shoulders, keeping her on her feet.  


“It’s okay, it’s almost over…”  


Anukai continued to whimper and make sounds against the pain as it seemed to sustain at its peak for several long moments before it slowly began to subside. She muttered curses under her breath as she felt the grip on her right shoulder tighten, only for one hand to slide down into her right. Quickly, she squeezed it with all of her strength, while the other returned it as best it could.  


Finally, the pain seemed to recede, pulling back from her neck and shoulders into her arm, and finally fizzling out as Anukai was left panting, her chest heaving with each breath. She slowly slid her eyes open, finding hot tears slipping from the corners of them.  


“There you go, there you go…”  


Vansa was looking down at something on the device in her hand for a moment before she glanced up at the redhead.  


“Okay… you did great,” she sighed.  


“What… what happened?” the redhead managed, her voice strained.  


“Like I said, we had to start the connection,” she explained. “Signs are looking good, so far.”  


“You keep saying start the connection, but… what does that actually mean? How?”  


“The arm is attached to your actual nervous system,” Vansa explained, “the small, natural wires that run throughout your body and that let you touch, see, smell, taste, hear… all that.”  


“So… it… it’s attached to me… inside?”  


“Yes. There’s no blood flowing into it, or anything, but your nervous system runs on small, electrical impulses.”  


“Because of… this?” Anukai gestured to the arm.  


“Nope, everyone’s does. Now, though, those impulses should be able to pass through this arm, and so the connection is attempting to tell your brain that this exists, and it can use it.”  


Vansa began to turn back to the console across the room, glancing down at the device in her hand for a moment.  


“It’s like a conversation, though. They have to get to know each other.”  


Anukai squirmed at the thought, prompting Ikrie to gently rub the back of her right shoulder. The redhead glanced down at her right hand to find that her deathgrip on the dark-haired girl’s had lessened, but she noted the red marks from where her grip had been moments ago.  


“Sorry…” she mumbled.  


“It’s okay.”  


As she glanced up at Ikrie, once again, she found that the wet trails of tears still remained on her face, as well. Before she could say anything else, Vansa approached Anukai, once again.  


“Okay, so everything’s reading well from the technical side,” she sighed, “now comes the part that’s on you.”  


“On me?”  


“We’re gonna get that conversation between your brain—” she pointed to the redhead’s forehead before shifting to her left arm, “—and your arm to begin cooperating.”  


Anukai swallowed painfully as she nodded, taking a deep breath.  


“How do I do that?”  


“Ikrie, I’m sorry, I’m gonna have to ask you to give Anukai her right arm back.”  


Vansa grinned at the dark-haired girl, who simply nodded and gave the redhead’s hand one last squeeze before releasing her. The healer woman gestured for Anukai to lift both arms, which the redhead obliged, still shifting at the feeling of the strange dead weight on her left side, but… something was already feeling different about it.  


“Now,” Vansa said, taking hold of Anukai’s right hand and turning it over so her palm faced the ceiling before doing the same to her left arm, “curl your fingers into a fist.”  


The redhead did as she said, curling them into a loose fist.  


“Now, do it a few more times, focusing on it. What happens when you do that? How do you do it?”  


Anukai did as she asked, focusing on how her fingers curled inward until they touched her palm, and then feeling how they clenched inward, before relaxing as she released her grip.  


“Now, take that same feeling, those same thoughts, and try to do it with your left hand. Just like you would with your right.”  


The redhead swallowed nervously, turning to her left hand and taking a deep breath. She focused on the fingers at the end, attempting to will them to mimic the motion of her right for a few moments, but nothing happened.  


“You’re trying to force them to do what you want,” Vansa interrupted, smirking. “I can see it on your face.”  


“What am I supposed to do, then?”  


“Just think about doing it. Don’t make them do it.”  


Anukai sighed, once again, staring down at the fingers of her left hand and trying to do as Vansa said. Her eyes widened as the fingers suddenly seemed to curl halfway into a fist, albeit some slowly and haltingly. She glanced up at Vansa as the healer woman grinned.  


“See?”  


The redhead swallowed heavily, once again, focusing on the left hand as she thought about letting the fingers open, once again, and they slowly obliged.  


“Keep trying a few more times.”  


She nodded, attempting to replicate what she had done the last time, thinking about the hand curling into a fist. A moment later, the fingers curled inward toward the palm, coming to rest in the shape of a loose fist, as her right hand had done before. After relaxing them back into an open position, she did it several more times, with each successive attempt moving slightly smoother.  


“Looks like the connection’s working,” Vansa laughed softly. “Now, for today, let’s leave it at that. Obviously, one of the next steps is going to be moving your elbow and being able to bend your arm, but let’s get your motions up to speed with your hand, first.”  


Anukai nodded dumbly, still staring down at her left hand as she tentatively moved each finger in turn, albeit still somewhat haltingly.  


“Feel free to keep practicing, but if you feel tired, take a break,” the healer woman explained. “Your mind may be a little worn out from getting used to it all.”  


The redhead nodded, once again, letting her arms fall to her sides.  


“Now, I need to check on a few other people, and then I’m probably going to get some more rest,” Vansa sighed. “If you suddenly feel a flare-up in pain, again, make sure Ikrie comes and gets me immediately.”  


With that, Vansa began to lead them out of the room, guiding the girls back to the main hallway before pointing them on their way and moving off to another room in the next hallway down. Anukai let out a heavy, shaking sigh as she turned back to looking down at her left arm, still attempting to curl and move her fingers slowly.  


“How do you feel?” Ikrie asked softly.  


The redhead swallowed heavily, closing her eyes for a moment.  


“Not… not normal.”  


The dark-haired girl stepped closer, gently laying one hand on her right upper arm.  


“I know,” she said even more softly. “You’re getting better, though.”  


Something dark crossed Anukai’s face as her jaw tightened.  


“Am I?”  


“Yes.”  


The redhead remained silent for a few moments before letting out a sigh that was more like an irritated huff.  


“I think I’m feeling tired, like Vansa said.”  


Ikrie paused for a moment before nodding, giving Anukai’s arm one last squeeze before releasing her, the girls beginning to make their way back to their room in silence. Just as they reached they reached the intersection with their hallway, another figure appeared out of it, prompting them both to halt and jump in surprise.  


Finally, Talanah seemed to recover first, swallowing heavily.  


“H-hey you two,” she said.  


Anukai quickly averted her gaze as she felt both of the others beside her shift uncomfortably.  


“Can’t sleep?” the Carja woman continued tentatively.  


“Went to see Vansa,” Ikrie supplied.  


“Oh… everything okay?”  


“Fine,” Anukai replied, finally turning her gaze back to the older, dark-haired woman before her.  


Talanah met her gaze for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face before it fell to something sadder.  


“Well, I’m glad to see you’re moving around and doing better.”  


With that, the Carja woman carefully stepped around them, allowing the girls to enter the hallway. As she paused, Anukai’s jaw worked tensely, although her mind was running over multiple small details she had noticed during their brief conversation. Dark circles had been clearly visible under Talanah’s eyes, and her hair and clothing had been much less put together than the Banuk redhead had ever remembered seeing.  


Shaking her head, she followed Ikrie into their shared room, wordlessly moving to her bedroll and falling onto it. The dark-haired girl also remained silent as she took her place on her own beside Anukai, quickly moving up against the redhead, burying her face in her right shoulder.  


The Banuk redhead remained still, however, staring up at the ceiling for several moments before lifting her left arm before her. Her gaze listlessly fell on the metal hand, once again, watching as she attempted to move the fingers and they slowly flexed and curled, the motions still somewhat stiff but growing more natural. Finally, with a heavy sigh, she let it fall by her side, once again, only to pause as something else registered in the back of her mind. She rolled her head to the left, attempting to look down toward the metal hand.  


It was resting against the side of her leg, but what drew her attention the most was not that she could feel its weight pressed against her, but that she swore she could feel the tips of the fingers pressed against the side of her leggings. It wasn’t entirely a complete feeling, but it was at least as if she were aware of something pressing against it.  


A shiver wracked her body as she adjusted her position, moving so that the hand was lying flat on the ground beside her, instead.  


Something also made her feel as if the metal should have been cold to the touch, but… it wasn’t.  


Somehow.  


Her attention was drawn back to Ikrie as she felt the girl shift beside her, and when she turned to look toward her, she found the dark-haired girl staring back at her, her head tilted upward slightly.  


“You should sleep,” she said softly.  


“I’ll try… eventually.”  


A sad smile pulled at Ikrie’s lips as she adjusted her position, pulling herself closer to Anukai, placing her head on the side of her chest, now, as she tentatively wrapped one arm across her torso, as well. The Banuk redhead inhaled slowly as she carefully wrapped her right arm behind Ikrie, raising her hand to gently stroke at her hair. Within the matter of a minute or two, the dark-haired huntress’s body had settled into a relaxed state, clearly having already slipped into sleep.  


Anukai stared down at the head of dark hair just visible to her as her hand moved from it to come to rest on the back of her shoulder. Ikrie felt so warm under her touch, even through her tunic, and she couldn’t help but focus on the difference of the sensation under her right hand as what registered under her left. The redhead’s jaw clenched tightly as she turned her head to stare up at the ceiling, once again.  


With a forced, deep breath, she closed her eyes, trying to convince herself that she could sleep normally, but almost instantly that was cast aside as she found herself standing in the room where Vansa had led them earlier. As she glanced around, she found that she was alone, prompting her to sigh and shake her head.  


“No sleep for the damned.”  


As she glanced about the room, once again, she found that the bed-like machine with the glass cover that had housed the machine man earlier now had a single square of light glowing on its outer surface. She tentatively approached it, eying the machine inside it warily. As she reached the bedside, she focused on the square.  


It contained a series of glyphs in a white font on top of the red background, and as she stared down at them, she suddenly found that she felt as if she could read them.  


“Programming active: Alpha Prime. Reconstruction in progress.”  


Confusion creased her face before another voice prompted her to freeze in place, her heart beat racing.  


“Now you’re really on your way to being me.”  


Her gaze slowly moved to the image of the figure in the machine before her, only to find that it was no longer the faceless, silver machine man as earlier, but seemingly the image of an all-too familiar older redhead. She was dressed in the same amalgamation of tattered and torn blues and yellows, supplemented with pieces of strange, grey clothing that were unfamiliar to the Banuk, as she remembered from inside the Nora mountain.  


“That’s what you wanted, right?” the Elisabet figure said, her head turned toward with a smirk.  


“I… never wanted to be… _this_ ,” Anukai hissed, gesturing to her left arm, which still appeared metal.  


“Really? Because I know Aloy always wanted to be me,” the figure continued, laughing.  


“I’m not her, either!”  


“No… no you’re not.”  


The image of Elisabet suddenly sat up, gripping Anukai’s left arm tightly and prompting the Banuk redhead to shout in surprise.  


“You can be so much more.”  


Anukai attempted to pull herself free, but Elisabet held fast, actually managing to pull the younger redhead closer to her.  


“You just have to embrace it, let yourself become _more_ … something else.”  


“I don’t want to be _this_ ,” Anukai spat. “I never asked for it.”  


“Well, if you’re so ungrateful, perhaps you don’t deserve it.”  


Suddenly, Elisabet tugged on Anukai’s left arm with a great deal of force, and the Banuk girl let out a scream of pain as the metal portion of her arm attached near her shoulder suddenly seemed to pull and tear at her skin, ripping partially free from it and unleashing a small river of blood from the gap that began to pour over the side of the machine.  


She tried to twist free, only for Elisabet to give one last tug, fully ripping the arm free of Anukai’s with a sickening tearing sound. The Banuk redhead staggered backward, gasping at the white hot pain that shot from where her arm seemed to end, once again, the blood pouring even more freely from it.  


As she turned to look down toward it, she suddenly realized that something was still protruding from where her skin ended, and she slowly raised her arm before her. Although the flesh ended about halfway down her bicep, where the ancient machine had severed it, what appeared to be the bones of the rest of her arm protruded all the way to the hand. Anukai’s chest heaved with panicked gasps as she stared down at the image before her.  


Quickly she began to realize that while it held the image of bone, it was not actually made of it.  


The shape was made of metal.  


“It runs deep in you, now.”  


Her gaze turned back to the image of Elisabet in the machine ahead of her, the older redhead smirking as she held the metal arm before her, although for a moment Anukai could have sworn it was made of flesh.  


“You’re ancient, through and through. Like the world, like the machine that tried to kill you…”  


Elisabet slowly climbed out of the machine, tossing the arm aside as she approached, stopping just before Anukai and raising one hand to lay it beside her face, the touch incredibly cold, like the deepest ice of the Cut.  


“A remnant of a metal world.”  


Just as a scream began to build in the back of Anukai’s throat, she found herself blinking rapidly, the image of Elisabet and the strange room within the bunker now gone, replaced with the ever-glowing lights in the ceiling overhead. The Banuk redhead remained still for several moments, breathing heavily as she heard her heart pounding in her ears.  


Swallowing heavily, she lifted her left arm, looking down at it to find that it was still metal, but fully intact, as it had been before. With a sigh that contained the hint of a quiet whimper, she let it fall by her side, squeezing her eyes shut tightly for a moment. Finally, after several long moments of attempting to control her breathing with little success, she opened her eyes, glancing over at Ikrie to find that the dark-haired girl had shifted her position, curling herself into Anukai’s side, rather than lying on top of her.  


After all of that, though, she still hadn’t woken.  


Taking another deep breath, Anukai gently began to extract her right arm from around the girl, pausing every time she thought she might have woken her. Finally, once she was free, she carefully slid herself to the side, giving herself enough room to get to her feet. Ikrie stirred slightly, shifting her position, but after several long seconds, she hadn’t moved, as if waking any further.  


Anukai ran her right hand over her face tiredly before carefully grabbing her blanket and rolling it into a small bundle, gently pressing it against Ikrie, who sleepily wrapped one arm around it, pulling it closer to her. With a small smile, the Banuk redhead also pulled the dark-haired girl’s blanket over her before getting to her feet as quietly as she could manage.  


Once she was standing, she made her way over to the door to the room, sparing one last glance back at the sleeping form of Ikrie before slipping into the hallway outside. As soon as the door slid closed behind her, she sighed, rubbing at her eyes tiredly. Her heart was no longer pounding as much as it had moments ago, but she was filled with a strange, nervous energy that refused to let her remain still, so she began walking, not particularly focusing on where.  


As she reached the main hallway, once again, she glanced up and down it before turning to her right, heading toward the entrance to the bunker. When she reached the intersection before it, however, she turned left, continuing along the secondary hallway. After mindlessly wandering various hallways for long enough that she had lost track of time, her mind trying to focus on anything other than the image of metal bones soaked in blood, she found herself turning into a hallway that bore signs of destruction and she came to a stop, blinking.  


Finally, her gaze settled on an open doorway ahead of her, its doors not fully open, but seemingly jammed in place, one of them at an odd angle. Instantly, recognition of where she had found herself came over her and she swallowed heavily, slowly making her way toward the signal room.  


As she approached, she caught sight of motion inside it, and hesitated just before the doorway, itself. As she did, the red light above it suddenly sprang to life, scanning over her as she jumped in surprise.  


“Identity confirmed. Welcome, Doctor Elisabet Sobeck.”  


She sighed heavily, the motion inside the room stopping almost immediately.  


“Ara?”  


Anukai debated turning to leave as quickly as she could, but a moment later a figure suddenly appeared from behind of the consoles, locking eyes with the Banuk redhead. She expected a fire to appear in her chest, but instead she felt almost… strangely hollow.  


“Oh…”  


Aloy paused, tapping her Focus slowly as she swallowed nervously.  


“Anukai…”  


The younger redhead nodded slowly, noticing how the older redhead’s eyes flicked to her left arm for a moment, a pained expression coming over her face.  


“You’re… on your feet,” she said softly, shifting her stance uncomfortably.  


Anukai shrugged, part of her willing her to turn and walk away from the doorway, but a stronger part of her kept her rooted to the spot.  


“I… I know you’re… mad at me,” Aloy continued just as softly. “I don’t blame you.”  


The Banuk redhead wanted to lash out, physically or verbally, but yet again, something held her back.  


“If… if you’re willing… we can talk.”  


Almost seemingly against her wishes, she found her feet carrying her slowly into the room, the older redhead also seemingly surprised by her response. Anukai eventually came to a stop a good several yards away from Aloy, however, remaining silent as she stared back at her.  


“What… what you said… yesterday…” the older redhead began, “had truth to it, I admit, but… I want you to know… you’re not just… some other body, to me.”  


“Because it’s yours, too.”  


A shiver ran through Aloy as she leaned against the edge of the console beside her, folding her arms tightly over her chest.  


“And it didn’t hit me… the way that you’re implying,” she said slowly.  


“So now you feel ownership? Like—”  


Anukai paused, her throat closing up as she found herself unable to finish the thought aloud. A heavy, oppressive silence fell over the two of them for several long moments before the older redhead cleared her throat softly.  


“Almost like that… maybe…” Aloy finally said.  


The silence returned for several long moments before Anukai laughed dryly, shaking her head.  


“That was fast,” she began. “We met… what, two, three days before all that?”  


Aloy shrugged.  


“Something like that.”  


Anukai continued to stare back at her as the older redhead seemed unable to meet her gaze.  


“So… all those people in Meridian, where they kept asking about me and you, it just… what, got to you now?”  


Aloy squirmed uncomfortably as she shook her head.  


“Never mind, I shouldn’t have…” she paused, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry that I… that I brought you here… and couldn’t protect you.”  


“I don’t _need_ someone to protect me,” Anukai spat, her jaw clenching. “I lived twenty years on my own.”  


“You had Ikrie.”  


“That’s not my point!”  


Anukai took an aggressive step forward, prompting Aloy to finally look back over at her, her body obviously tensing.  


“Tell me, since we’re clearly treading so close to this,” the younger redhead seethed, her chest heaving, “when you look at me… who do you see?”  


Aloy recoiled in surprise, her eyes widening as her arms began to slowly unfold from before her.  


“Do you just see you?”  


Slowly, the older redhead began to shake her head.  


“Then who do you see?”  


A long moment of silence passed before Aloy swallowed heavily.  


“You… Anukai.”  


The younger redhead continued to seethe for several moments before she shook her head, breaking her eye contact with Aloy finally.  


“And what am I to you, then?”


	3. A Memorial To Signify the Sense of Helplessness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday, y'all.
> 
> So it's time for our main redheads to lay a few things out.
> 
> Get ready for some revelations
> 
> Title reference from [Counterparts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U1dMxy6mvg).
> 
> Let's get on with it, shall we?

Aloy remained still and silent for several long moments, long enough that Anukai finally looked back up at her, wondering if she had perhaps made some nonverbal gesture, but the older redhead was simply staring back at her, an unreadable expression in her eyes as she seemed to be slowly chewing the inside of her cheek. When the silence stretched to nearly half a minute, she noted how the older redhead’s motions had seemingly changed, now appearing almost as if her lower lip was threatening to tremble until she bit down on it, bowing her head.  


“You don’t want to hear it.”  


“I asked you, didn’t I?”  


Aloy sighed, her shoulders sagging as she lifted her gaze to meet Anukai’s once again.  


“I care for you like family.”  


The Banuk redhead inhaled deeply, part of her expecting the response, but the rest of her still reeling from actually hearing it in person.  


“I care for you like I care for Talanah… for GAIA… for Petra… for Rost…”  


The older redhead refused to break eye contact while Anukai also forced herself to maintain it, although so much of her desperately wished to look away.  


“I never had a family, other than Rost,” she continued, her tone rough and seemingly on the verge of breaking up as she visibly fought to keep her demeanor under control, “not really—except for the one I made. I know how it feels to be lost and confused like you… and I wanted—I _want_ —so badly to try to help… to take so much of that away… and instead I… I nearly got you killed.”  


Anukai continued to stare back at her in silence as Aloy was the one to finally break the eye contact, glancing down at the floor near her feet.  


“I… Talanah has been the only one left— _physically_ there—for… a while, now… that I’ve been able to care for… to _make_ myself care for… Even then, at times, I’ve been impossible,” she continued. “There’s… so many times that I feel like I’m a terrible person… and there are so many times I wish I could change… so many times I look at Talanah and think that I have to… and now… I felt the same with you.”  


The Banuk redhead’s aggressive stance faded somewhat as her eyes widened, the tension throughout her body lifting as a strange feeling began to form in her chest.  


“The two of you… you make me want to be a better person… _for_ you.”  


The hair on the back of Anukai’s neck stood on end as a shiver ran through her, the words instantly feeling familiar.  


It had happened before, at Sunfall…  


“And I thought—seeing you after that attack—that I had failed… definitively.”  


Finally, when Aloy lifted her head to look back at Anukai, she found that her eyes had grown red and watery, even though no tears fell.  


“So I mean it, when I say that I’m beyond grateful that you’re alive… not for my sake… but grateful that you’re alive in spite of me.”  


The redheads maintained eye contact for several long moments before Anukai finally felt the last bit of fire extinguish in her chest, the last piece of burning anger that she had held to upon seeing the older redhead in the room ripped away. Instead, she felt… hollow again. She had come into the room on the offensive, angry, and ready to place blame on someone else, finally.  


Instead… she had only found a mirror.  


Finally, the younger redhead sighed, lowering her head as she closed her eyes tightly.  


“It’s… it’s just as much my fault, too.”  


Her words seemed to echo about the otherwise silent room for several seconds before she forced herself to continue, once again.  


“I said I didn’t need protection… I should have been capable… and I made the decision that put myself here.”  


“You don’t have to—”  


“I’m not saying this for your benefit,” Anukai snapped, lifting her head to look at Aloy, once again, finding the older redhead recoiling slightly at her outburst. “I’m saying it because… because I knew it was true, and… and the longer I let that fire burn inside me, the sooner it’d melt away that Banuk ice that—that we all seem to hold…”  


The younger redhead clenched her jaw as she felt the corners of her eyes sting slightly and she hurriedly wiped at them with the back of her right hand.  


“And the sooner that truth—the deepest part—would be left… and I’d no longer be able to force my song into whatever I wanted it to be, but would have to just… embrace what it is.”  


Aloy had remained silent throughout Anukai’s story, her jaw set as she seemed to let the tears spill from the corners of her eyes, not moving to wipe them away the instant they started to fall.  


“I can’t blame you… any more than I can blame myself,” Anukai finally said, her voice almost a hoarse whisper.  


Slowly, Aloy began to take a tentative step forward, gauging the Banuk redhead’s reaction, but she didn’t move to shrink or step away, so she closed the gap between them. Finally, as she came to a stop before her, she swallowed nervously, slowly reaching a hand toward her left shoulder and gently gripping it. Their eyes locked for a moment as Anukai swallowed forcefully, just before Aloy’s hand slid over the younger redhead’s shoulder and behind her back, gently pulling her into an embrace.  


Anukai found herself pausing for a moment, only for her right arm to slowly raise, wrapping behind Aloy’s, as well. Part of her wanted to shiver at the idea of being so close to what her mind couldn’t fully refute was herself, identical in so many ways… but the other part, which rapidly seemed to be winning, told her that it wasn’t.  


The _feeling_ wasn’t that of a copy.  


Soon, the younger redhead found herself burying her face in Aloy’s shoulder, squeezing the older redhead tighter with her one arm as the older woman returned it with both arms.  


It wasn’t particularly Banuk to engage in such a display, but Anukai could feel another truth that had been laid bare by the fire she had described earlier.  


She had never been fully Banuk, all along.  


There had always been something else.  


Something more.  


Something wider and broader and older and different.  


Maybe she had lost a piece of herself, but maybe it hadn’t been the most important part.  


“Why do you feel that way about me?” the Banuk girl asked softly, her voice muffled by Aloy’s tunic. “Why do you feel like you owe all that to someone you just met?”  


The older redhead slowly released her from the embrace, holding her at an arm’s length, once again as her lips pulled into a thin line, although Anukai detected a hint of a tremble forming in one of them.  


“Because… because part of me felt like… once I knew who you were… I was confused, sure, but… it was like… something missing had found its way back into my life.”  


Confusion creased Anukai’s face as the older redhead bowed her head, sighing heavily. They both remained still for several long moments before the Banuk girl summoned the courage to speak, once again.  


“You said that Talanah has been the only person—physically—who you’ve had that you called family… why… why was there not… another?”  


The older redhead froze for a moment before she finally lifted her head to meet her gaze, the tears flowing from her eyes, once again.  


“I tried…” she said softly, her voice barely audible even from her position only a foot or so away, “but…”  


She slowly began to shake her head as Anukai felt a heavy weight sink in her stomach, a hard lump appearing in her throat, as she desperately tried to swallow it down so she could speak.  


“I’m sorry… I… knew several women in the Cut who tried—”  


“It’s… not what you might think,” Aloy interrupted, closing her eyes for a moment. “You saw… Sunfall… right?”  


Anukai froze, her eyes widening slightly as her heart began to hammer in her chest.  


“You saw… Petra…?”  


Finally, the Banuk girl nodded as Aloy’s eyes slid open, once again.  


“That… that was almost me, too.”  


Anukai’s heart beat instantly went from pounding to seemingly a dead stop as the implications began to race through her mind. The sick image of Petra in the bed, the memory of Aloy’s frustration to save her, the “dream” of Talanah’s voice refusing to leave…  


“You went to the same place she did. You got sick, too.”  


The older redhead nodded painfully, her eyes squeezing shut tightly.  


“Do you know what cancer is, Anukai?”  


The Banuk girl shook her head, once again, but quickly realized that Aloy’s eyes were still shut.  


“No.”  


“It’s a disease that… effectively makes your body turn against itself,” the older redhead continued. “It changes you at a very small—deep down—level… You can get it from… lots of different things, but… radiation is a really good one.”  


“Radiation?”  


The older redhead sighed, finally releasing Anukai as she began to pace before her, rubbing at her eyes tiredly with one hand.  


“It sounds like you— _saw_ —more events than Sunfall… what exactly do you know?”  


“Just that… that Petra woman got sick from something at that Prime place you mentioned,” Anukai explained, “a-and I think Erend, maybe, too… but the treatment couldn’t save her, and… one person needed to… stop it, whatever it was, at the Prime site.”  


Aloy nodded, turning back toward the Banuk girl as she paced toward her, now.  


“That’s right,” she nodded. “GAIA’s housed in a bunker, not unlike this one, inside a Mountain north of Meridian, called GAIA Prime, or the Prime site. When it was first built, it was a massive facility, because I—”  


The older redhead paused, stopping her pacing for a moment, as well, as she closed her eyes, once again.  


“—Elisabet wanted to make sure that GAIA had everything she needed,” she continued, “to rebuild the world after the plague of machines, like the ones that came to life here, completely consumed all life.”  


Suddenly, images of brightly-lit metal hallways flashed before Anukai’s eyes and she squeezed them shut tightly for a moment, but it didn’t help. Vague impressions of other figures appeared amidst the metal, with one notably casting a bright splash of blue against the otherwise grey backgrounds.  


“You mentioned something about this place before,” Anukai said softly, opening her eyes, once again.  


“Oh, right… well, to power all that, it needed a massive source, known as a reactor core. It can produce immense amounts of energy, more than enough to power hundreds of cities the size of Meridian, but the problem came when we were working on the site, trying to bring it fully back to a functioning state.”  


Aloy paused, once again, her jaw clenching as she stared at the empty air before her, rather than at Anukai, herself.  


“We were optimistic and… careless.”  


With a heavy sigh, Aloy suddenly took a seat on the edge of a nearby console, running her hands tiredly over her face.  


“Petra was amazing with machines, like I told you, and so she was up there to oversee a test of the reactor core to see if it could run at full capacity and… something was wrong in its physical construction.”  


Anukai remained silent, her heart beginning to pound in her ears once again as images of the bed-ridden Petra passed before her, prompting her to swallow painfully.  


“Something malfunctioned when Petra tried to power it up, and… part of it broke and—exploded.”  


The Banuk girl’s eyebrows raised as Aloy folded her arms over her chest, continuing to stare at the floor before her feet.  


“The outer part around the core needs to be in place—and intact—to prevent all of that radiation from leaking out into the world. When it broke… it gave it an escape route. Suddenly, the entire Prime site was doused in it, and Petra tried to get out, but something called radiation poisoning had already set in…”  


Anukai remained silent, the implication of any sort of disease caused by something described as poisoning enough to cast a clear enough impression.  


“Erend was closest and so got GAIA’s emergency plea. He rushed to get her, but he had to be close enough to the site to get dosed, himself. He wasn’t as bad as Petra, but… goddammit, by the time both of them made it back to Meridian… she looked half-dead and he… he knew something was wrong.”  


Once again, images flashed before Anukai, but this time they were of faces, two in particular. One was of a late middle-aged woman with dark hair, who she quickly began to realize was the same woman from the bed in Meridian and in the nightmare in Sunfall, but… less gaunt. Her skin was red, almost as if she had been burnt, and she seemed to be gasping for breath.  


The other was the man from the armory who had confronted her before Aloy had stepped in. The image was a younger version of him, but she noted the dark circles under his eyes and how he looked almost as if he were about to collapse from exhaustion. With another blink, the image had shifted to them before her, at the end of a hallway, as the redhead swore she saw her hands reaching out toward them.  


A moment later, the images disappeared as Aloy suddenly stood from her position against the console, swinging her fist blindly at the empty air beside her.  


“Fuck!”  


Anukai recoiled at her outburst, blinking rapidly and staggering back a step or two as her heart rate instantly skyrocketed.  


“Sorry, I… it’s still…”  


“I get it.”  


Aloy sighed heavily, covering her face with her hands for a moment before breathing deeply and letting them fall to her sides, once again.  


“So it sounds like you saw what happened to Petra after that…”  


“I can make a good guess.”  


The older redhead nodded slowly, beginning to pace back toward the Banuk girl.  


“GAIA was able to re-engineer a cure—or a treatment, at least—but by that time… it was too late for Petra.”  


Memories of the hallway in what must have been the Meridian palace flashed before Anukai and she found herself drawing in a sharp breath involuntarily.  


“I’m sorry.”  


“You saw… huh?”  


Anukai nodded.  


“Well… I’m sorry you had to see that,” Aloy replied, hanging her head as her arms folded tightly over her chest. “On the other hand… it wasn’t too late for Erend. His dose was less severe, and so it was able to work more effectively on him and… well, you met him. He’s alive and… angry.”  


“Because you saved his life?”  


Aloy sighed, shaking her head.  


“Just because it saved his life doesn’t mean it was easy… or that there aren’t still risks afterward.”  


Anukai remained silent, swallowing nervously. Finally, the older redhead sighed, turning on her heel to begin her pacing in the opposite direction.  


“So yeah, after that… someone had to fix it all.”  


The silence hung even heavier between them as the Banuk redhead tried to summon her ability to speak, once again, even though the resounding void of sound seemed to beg her not to.  


“You had to fix it.”  


Aloy finally stopped moving, her back to Anukai. After several long moments, her voice carried back to her, even as the older redhead didn’t turn around.  


“I did.”  


Suddenly, the image before Anukai shifted, once again, but even more viscerally than before, leaving her feeling as if she were actually standing in shin-deep snow, a brutally cold wind whipping at her hair. Ahead of her, farther up what appeared to be a mountainside, were a gathering of bright lights amidst the dark rock.  


A strange crackling sounded in her ear, and her hand suddenly lifted toward it, seemingly of its own accord. Her fingers tapped at the Focus beside her right ear, but it did little to help, as she noted the colored lights around her seemed somewhat distorted. Suddenly, the crackling seemed to form into a voice for a moment, its tone instantly familiar.  


“Too high… will need… quick…”  


“I’ll be quick,” came her own voice, echoing in her ears.  


With that, her hand tapped the Focus, once again, before she began to trudge through the snow. After every step or two, she seemed to blink and move ahead six more, skipping across the landscape all while the crackling sound in her ear continued, but her body seemed to pay it no mind as it carried her forward. Eventually, the lights had finally grown larger and formed an actual shape amidst the dark rock around them. With one final blink, she was coming to a stop before a massive, metal doorway, the lights outlining its shape.  


A moment later, her hand had suddenly appeared over what seemed to be a piece of glass in the middle of the doorway. A red light appeared from overhead, scanning over her, before a distorted voice rang in her ear.  


“Confirmed… Doctor Elisabet Sobeck.”  


With a heavy groaning sound the door began to slide open, only for it to seemingly jump open suddenly. The massive slab of metal had revealed an equally large hallway behind it. As her feet suddenly stepped into the opening, the crackling in her ear intensified, and Anukai could have sworn that she felt a strange prickling along the exposed skin of her face.  


“Two… minutes…”  


“Two minutes in and out, got it.”  


With that, her body suddenly charged forward, taking off at a dead sprint into the large metal hallway. The lights and shapes within seemed to flicker, blur, and jump as the hallway passed in a series of skipping images, her legs carrying her farther into the mountain, seemingly aware of the path on their own. Finally, after a series of disorienting hallways and turns, she found herself at a stop before a smaller doorway, her hand quickly reaching out to twist the circle of light in the center of it. A moment later, she was inside what appeared to be an elevator, and seemed to be descending.  


A crackling voice appeared in her ear, once again.  


“Levels… indescribably…”  


“I knew what I was getting into.”  


“Worry…”  


“Don’t worry about me,” Anukai’s voice seemed to echo about the small room. “It’s getting fixed, one way or another.”  


A moment later, a different voice chimed in her ear.  


“Aloy… how… you…”  


Anukai found her hand quickly reaching up to tap the Focus beside her ear, her chest heaving.  


“Not now…”  


A moment later, the door had opened and she found herself coming to a stop in the room beyond as her gaze swept over the sight before her. The space was not unlike the signal room where she had found Aloy, except this one’s wall of glass overlooked not a massive, empty room full of machines, but a singular massive sphere, seemingly glowing from within with some kind of blue light. One portion of it, on the right side, seemed to be missing the dark, metal plating that covered the rest, offering a more direct view into the almost blindingly blue light inside it.  


She wasn’t aware of her feet moving, but she suddenly found herself standing before the consoles ahead of her, her head turned down toward them and her hands quickly beginning to fly across the various boxes of light over them, even as they seemed to jitter and distort, at times.  


“Come on…”  


As she tapped at one more emphatically than the rest, an alarm sounded, while the boxes of light turned red.  


“Come on!”  


Her fist slammed down on the edge of the console as her other hand tapped at the box, once again, but the same alarm sounded.  


“It’s not working!”  


Yet another voice suddenly chimed in her ear, but this one sounded even more synthetic than the others.  


“Integrity… failing…”  


“I don’t have time for this…”  


The vague impression of a distorted but familiar voice appeared in her ear as the image of the room seemingly spinning around her whirled before her eyes.  


“The console’s not responding to me, and it won’t shut down!”  


“Emergency… manual…”  


The whirling suddenly came to a stop as her gaze settled on something to the left, farther along the room that housed the massive sphere. Another room much like the one she was currently standing in sat a hundred yards or so away, connected by a metal walkway fixed to the wall. The walkway, however, was not covered or protected in any way.  


“Going for a walk…”  


“Aloy… no… dangerous…”  


“So is this place if I don’t do something.”  


With that, Anukai could only watch as she appeared before the door onto the walkway, her hand reaching to hover over the lock for a moment. The next moment, the door stood open, immediately unleashing a barrage of sound that seemed to cause the redhead to pause for a moment, only for it to consume her as she suddenly appeared on the walkway, sprinting toward the opposite side.  


The immense roaring sound that now filled her ears was unlike anything she had ever experienced before, and seemed to shake her to her bones, rattling every part of her. The second thing she noticed as her legs continue to power her across the walkway, was the tingling feeling that had grown more noticeable on her skin.  


“Integrity… failed… shield… depleted…”  


The walkway seemed to skip and blur before until she finally slammed into the door to the next room, twisting the lock as best she could before falling through the doorway. Once inside, she nearly tumbled to the floor, but her arms caught her at the last second, using the momentum to propel herself forward toward another console. This one, notably, contained a large, red box made of metal in the center of it.  


The redhead’s fingers danced across the boxes of light for several moments before she placed her palm flat over one of them and held it still.  


“Confirm… identity… rank…” a synthetic voice crackled.  


“Elisabet Sobeck, Alpha Prime!”  


A moment later, the red, metal box opened, revealing what appeared to be a lever beneath it. With a blink, it had settled into a different position with a heavy clunk, Anukai’s hands gripping it tightly. A moment later, the roaring sound seemed to slow, almost like the inner workings of a machine coming to a stop after a kill. Slowly, the blue light from inside the sphere began to fade, as well, until the room was left in a near pitch blackness.  


Despite this, Anukai heard herself let out a heavy sigh, her hands releasing the lever as she staggered backward.  


“Did it…”  


Anukai blinked slowly, only to find her arms dragging herself over the top of a ladder and into the large, metal hallway she had first entered, a heavy sigh escaping her lips, before quickly turning into a cough. She staggered on her feet, but seemed to catch her balance at the last moment as she turned toward the large door at the end.  


The next thing she knew, her hand was reaching toward similar glass panel, seeming to lean her entire weight against it. A voice vaguely registered in the back of her mind before she blinked and found herself falling to her hands and knees in the snow, coughing loudly. As her eyes glanced down at the white, freezing powder beneath her, she noticed flecks of red splattered across it. One hand lifted to her lower lip, running over it for a moment before lifting before her eyes to reveal that her fingertips were soaked in a dark vermilion liquid.  


“Fuck…”  


The sound of her voice rang in her ears, once again, but as she attempted to lift her head to look toward it, she found herself staring back at a familiar pair of gold-green hazel eyes.  


“You back?”  


Anukai blinked rapidly, but the image of the older redhead’s face didn’t change or disappear, once again.  


“You’re looking more aware…”  


“Did… did you do that to me?”  


“I didn’t do anything to you…”  


The Banuk girl squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head.  


“Why did you go in there, then?”  


Aloy paused for a moment, before sighing heavily and releasing Anukai’s arms.  


“I… felt like I had to… like after… after everything… maybe that was my purpose.”  


Anukai only watched as the older redhead began to pace away from her, once again.  


“To die for someone and something other than myself… like…”  


The image of a strange, wooden structure in the middle of an expansive, dusty field appeared before the Banuk girl, only to quickly disappear with a blink.  


“Like Elisabet.”  


Aloy’s pacing paused as she turned toward the younger redhead, once again.  


“Like Elisabet, yeah.”  


“But… you’re not… _I’m_ not…”  


Anukai could feel her heart beat rising, once again, as her breathing began to match it, as well. A moment later, Aloy had appeared before her, once again, placing her hands on her shoulders.  


“Easy, Anukai, breathe…”  


The Banuk girl tried to twist away, but her knees suddenly seemed to give out and she fell toward the floor. Aloy tried to catch her, but Anukai’s arms quickly shot out before her, managing to catch herself. She paused for a moment on her hands and knees, however, staring down at her left hand, which was braced against the floor with a flat palm and fingers extended, just like her right one.  


Slowly, she lowered herself into a sitting position, holding her left arm gingerly out before her as she focused on returning the hand to a neutral position, watching the wrist and fingers follow her thoughts. With a heavy sigh, she let it fall to her side, once again, glancing back up at Aloy to find the older redhead crouched before her.  


“Learning how to use it, already,” she said softly, nodding toward her arm.  


Anukai’s jaw clenched, but she nodded.  


“Can’t be useless forever.”  


A saddened expression came over Aloy, but she didn’t pressure any further, instead taking a seat on the floor before the Banuk girl, as well. They both remained silent for several long moments as Anukai focused on trying to keep her breathing under control, pushing away images of other worlds made of metal and another, older redhead in an ancient house.  


“So…” she finally said, forcing her attention to focus on Aloy, once again, “how did you survive if Petra didn’t?”  


The older redhead flinched slightly, hanging her head as the Banuk girl quickly sucked in a breath through her teeth.  


“I didn’t mean to—”  


“It’s a fair question,” Aloy interrupted. “The answer is… because we had the answer for how to fix me… because of her.”  


A heavy silence fell over them for several long moments before the older redhead sighed.  


“The treatment GAIA developed is partially something that can be ingested—taken and swallowed—and partially something that involves what people like the Nora and the Banuk might call ‘magic’.”  


Confusion creased Anukai’s face.  


“Magic?”  


Aloy laughed softly, nodding.  


“Yeah, but… really, it’s just using a different type of radiation in a very specific way.”  


“Wait… using… more of the thing that nearly killed you?”  


The older redhead nodded, sighing as she adjusted her position, pulling her knees closer to her chest as she wrapped her arms around them.  


“That was most people’s response when they found out,” she said, “but this is carefully administered by someone who knows what they’re doing… in this case, GAIA.”  


A long pause followed before Anukai swallowed nervously.  


“So… you’re… fine… now… right?”  


Aloy let out another heavy sigh as she nodded.  


“Not dying of cancer, at least.”  


After a moment or two, Anukai let out a short, dry laugh that felt hollow in her chest, as Aloy offered a wry smirk that seemed to convey the same feeling.  


“So, after all that… where does not having a—another family member—come in?”  


The older redhead sighed, her hands clenching tightly around her knees for a moment.  


“As a result of the treatment that saved my life… well, I wasn’t able to, after that.”  


Confusion creased Anukai’s face as she shifted her position slightly.  


“Because you didn’t want to anymore?”  


“Because I can’t—physically—anymore.”  


The Banuk girl’s confusion didn’t lessen any more as the older redhead swallowed forcefully, her gaze fixed on her knees rather than Anukai.  


“Like I said, the treatment that GAIA employed involved using very targeted, specific uses of radiation, but… as part of that, to fully eradicate the cancer cells, it… also eradicated some of the necessary pieces to…”  


“It destroyed… entire organs?”  


Aloy laughed dryly, shaking her head.  


“No, just egg cells within them.”  


“Egg cells?”  


The older redhead squirmed slightly, finally glancing over at Anukai.  


“Maybe later I can show you information from APOLLO about that,” she sighed, “but, uh, now is not really the time, I think.”  


The Banuk redhead’s face began to heat up as she nodded, turning her gaze toward her own knees as the fingers of her right hand played with part of her leggings.  


“So… you wanted to, but… can’t.”  


A pause followed before the sound of Aloy sighing reached her.  


“Yeah, that about sums it up.”  


“And… something Erend said… is that… why he was mad at you?”  


A short, dry laugh came from the older redhead as Anukai lifted her head to look toward her again, finding Aloy stretching her legs before her as she noted how her hands clenched into fists in her lap.  


“He says a lot of shit these days,” she muttered before taking a deep breath. “Him and I were not— _involved_ —as you’re implying. There was a time that he may have been on a list of consideration for helping make that idea come true, and… I don’t know, maybe he found out somehow and… took it the wrong way…”  


The Banuk girl frowned as Aloy rubbed at her eyes tiredly with one hand.  


“You remember Bekan?”  


Anukai started slightly, blinking as memories of the young guard in Meridian who had first led her and Ikrie to Aloy’s study and who had come with Vanasha to offer goodbyes before they had all left Meridian came back to her. Quickly, confusion mixed with a strange, nervous feeling set in as the Banuk girl nodded.  


“You know Erend’s his father, right?”  


“You mentioned it, yeah.”  


A long pause followed as the older redhead continued to not meet Anukai’s gaze, seemingly summoning the courage to speak again.  


“He’s not… you’re—?”  


“No,” Aloy said quickly, looking up at her with a start. “No, not mine… but his and Petra’s.”  


It was Anukai’s turn to start suddenly, eyes widening as her posture straightened up, her hand falling still from its nervous work at her clothing.  


“W-wait…”  


“He’s about the same age as you,” Aloy continued, “so this was from… long before all of that at the Prime site happened.”  


“But… they were… mates?”  


The older redhead laughed, shrugging and shaking her head at the same time.  


“Not exactly.”  


Anukai opened her mouth to say something else, but she couldn’t seem to form her thoughts into a coherent sentence, so instead she simply sighed, her shoulders sagging.  


“It, uh, was not exactly a planned thing,” Aloy began softly, “but… it happened, and both of them agreed to raise him, just… not exactly as a cohesive ‘family’…”  


The Banuk girl nodded slowly, letting the silence fall over the two of them for several moments before she cleared her throat.  


“So… that’s why he’s mad, too…”  


Aloy sighed heavily, nodding.  


“Yeah… that, too.”  


Finally, after the silence had begun to stretch on to a point where it felt uncomfortable, Aloy took a deep breath as Anukai shifted her position stiffly.  


“I completely understand if you need your space—in general—right now, but… I’m glad we were able to talk.”  


The Banuk redhead nodded, turning back to meet Aloy’s gaze, once again.  


“Me, too.”  


The older redhead offered a small smile before a yawn interrupted it and she began to get to her feet. A moment later, she offered a hand to Anukai, and she took it, accepting Aloy’s help as she dragged herself to her feet with a groan. Once she was standing, she rolled her shoulders, grimacing at the tightness that had settled in across them.  


“Does it hurt?”  


Confusion creased her face as she glanced over at Aloy.  


“Your—arm,” she said, gesturing vaguely.  


“Oh… not now,” Anukai shook her head. “Just… normal pain.”  


A frown tugged at Aloy’s lips as the Banuk girl laughed.  


“I’ll be fine.”  


The older redhead eventually nodded, a small, sad smile passing over her face before she gestured toward the door out of the signal room.  


“I’ll walk you back.”  


With that, the redheads began to make their way back through the maze of similar hallways, both of them remaining silent as they continued. Finally, Anukai recognized the intersection with the main hallway before the entrance to the facility as they took a right into it, a yawn soon forcing its way out of her. When they finally reached the side hallway with the rooms they were staying in, they both came to a stop just before the actual doors, both of them shuffling somewhat awkwardly, but remaining silent for a moment or two longer.  


“If… if you need anything… or if I can help in any way… let me know,” Aloy finally said quietly.  


Anukai nodded tiredly, staring down at the floor between them for a moment before she slowly took a step forward, her right arm tentatively beginning to raise. A moment later, Aloy’s arms had wrapped around her, once again, and the Banuk redhead quickly returned the embrace, although both of their grips were much less intense than before. Regardless, Anukai leaned her face into the shoulder of Aloy’s tunic for a moment, once again simply taking in the feeling that came with it.  


Finally, the older redhead pat her on the back gently and began to pull away, leading Anukai to lift her head, blinking tiredly.  


“You need some sleep, kid,” the older woman said, laughing softly.  


The Banuk redhead mumbled a response in the affirmative before yawning deeply. Without another word, Aloy gently turned her toward her door and urged her toward it. Anukai smirked as she stepped forward, pressing the box of blue light beside the door and waiting until it had slid open. As she stepped into the open doorway, she glanced back, once again, to see Aloy watching her from outside her own door, grinning as she made a shooing gesture.  


The Banuk redhead grinned, as well, before stepping into her room, the door quickly sliding closed behind her. Another deep yawn escaped her as she tiredly made her way over to the bedrolls, noting that Ikrie still seemed to be fast asleep, the blanket under her arms having come undone from its bundled form, slightly, but otherwise still in the same place it had been before.  


Anukai carefully laid on her bedroll, but hesitated as she reached to pull the blanket from the dark-haired girl’s grasp. Finally, she sighed softly, leaving it in place as she laid her head on the makeshift pillow she had made of the bundled-up cloak. As she did, her gaze fell on Ikrie’s face, only to find that her eyes had cracked open. The redhead swallowed nervously as the dark-haired girl began to shift.  


“Where’d you go?” she croaked softly.  


“Couldn’t sleep.”  


“But… where’d you go?”  


Anukai sighed, gently pulling the blanket from Ikrie’s grasp, finally, and throwing it over them just as the dark-haired girl wriggled forward, quickly wrapping her arms around the redhead and burying her face in the crook of her neck.  


“Not far,” Anukai said softly, adjusting the blanket over them before adjusting her right arm to reach up and stroke the head of dark hair before her slowly.  


Ikrie only seemed to tighten her grip around the redhead, one leg quickly slipping between hers, as well, fully intertwining the two of them. A small, sad smile tugged at Anukai’s lips as she instead wrapped her arm around Ikrie, as well, squeezing her against her chest even more tightly for a moment.  


Once again, she was captured by a feeling.  


It wasn’t the same one as moments ago, nor the same as earlier that night.  


It may have be the tone of Ikrie’s voice, or how quickly and insistently she had encircled the redhead…  


Whatever it was, the feeling in Anukai’s chest was not quite as hollow, and she squeezed Ikrie tightly, once again, leaning her head toward the dark hair before her, as she felt the other girl renew her grip, once again.  


“I’m glad you came back.”  


Ikrie’s voice was barely louder than a breath, and if they hadn’t been so close, Anukai might have missed it entirely, but instead she simply leaned her head against the other girl’s, closing her eyes.  


The rest of the night passed with no further distractions or nightmares, until the redhead finally began to blink her eyes open, feeling the most rested she could remember being in a while, even before they had set out into the desert. With a groan, she began to stretch, arching her back as she reached her arms over her head.  


As she began to settle, once again, she realized that Ikrie was no longer wrapped around her, and she frowned slightly, glancing around the room, only to find the other girl seated cross-legged a few feet away, also seemingly stretching, but Anukai noted that it was more than a mere tactic to shake the last remnants of fatigue, but rather something she remembered once learning as a younger hunter, as well.  


It was a method meant to calm the mind and body and leave the individual more focused and perhaps dispel things that were otherwise weighing on them. A shaman from the first werak they had grown up in had taught them and several other young hunters as a means of learning patience and precision before a hunt. The redhead frowned slightly as she began to prop herself on one elbow.  


She also remembered that it was commonly used when one was unable to shake thoughts that distracted them from the task at hand.  


Neither of them had been particularly keen on keeping up with it, but Anukai distinctly remembered the last time she had even bothered with the exercises was the night before the test hunt that would grant them entrance to the werak in the Cut, or would see them kicked back into the wilderness.  


The redhead remained silent, however, simply watching Ikrie go through the motions. She had removed her outer tunic, leaving only the fabric wrapping beneath it, which most definitely made the motions easier, but also allowed Anukai to see exactly how each of the muscles along her shoulders and arms moved. A strange, tight feeling appeared in her chest and she glanced down, her gaze quickly falling on her left arm.  


She slowly lifted it before her, staring at the hand at the end before willing the hand to close into a fist. To her surprise, it did so more smoothly than the day before, although she did not a few twinges of a dull ache that began to appear in her arm, just above where the metal portion ended. With a grimace, she gingerly rubbed at the skin above it, shivering as her fingers accidentally brushed the tip of the metal appendage.  


As the metal fingers relaxed into an open shape, once again, she turned her attention to the elbow portion, her jaw set. Silently, she pushed herself to a seated position, allowing her to use her right arm to test the feeling of bending and extending it, as Vansa had instructed her to do yesterday with her hand. With a glance toward Ikrie to see that she was still focused on her exercises, Anukai turned back to her left arm, focusing on the feeling of moving her right elbow and willing her left arm to follow suit.  


Slowly, the joint began to bend, but stopped less than halfway to a full, actual bend. With a frown, she managed to straighten it out before trying again. This time, the arm bent slowly for a moment or two before suddenly shooting to a fully bent position across her chest. Anukai jumped in surprise, quickly gripping the metal portion of her arm reflexively, trying to push it away from her.  


A moment later, the sound of movement came from nearby while the redhead tried to calm herself, once again, willing her arm to straighten out. As she glanced past her arm, however, she found Ikrie kneeling before her.  


“Are you okay?” she asked quickly.  


“Yeah, just… tried…”  


“Take it easy, it’s the first time…”  


“It’s not the first time I’ve moved my arm, Ikrie.”  


“This one.”  


Anukai remained silent as she focused on her arm, eventually coercing it to return to a straight position, once again. As soon as it had, the Banuk redhead sighed, letting her arm fall into her lap. When her gaze fell on Ikrie, however, she found the dark-haired girl leaning on her heels, watching her with an unreadable expression.  


“Got it,” Anukai said softly, shaking her left arm slightly, as best she could.  


Ikrie offered a weak smile, nodding, as the redhead sighed.  


“Does it hurt, at all?”  


The redhead shook her head, sighing.  


“I… I saw you stretching, and… you haven’t done that in a while.”  


Ikrie sighed, herself, sinking to a cross-legged position across from her.  


“There’s been a lot on my mind, you know?”  


They both remained silent for several long moments before Anukai broke it, sighing heavily.  


“Hungry?”  


Ikrie nodded in agreement, and they began to gather their things. Anukai found her gaze lingering as the dark-haired girl slipped her tunic back on, tying it in place with her belt. Suddenly, she realized the dark-haired girl had turned toward her and she quickly glanced at the floor beside her, a hot feeling spreading across her cheeks. A moment later, the feeling only intensified when the feeling of Ikrie’s hand slid along her cheek.  


“Sure you’re feeling okay?” she asked softly. “You seem a little… flushed.”  


Anukai shot her an admonishing look as Ikrie laughed, but quickly stepped forward and pressed into a kiss. The redhead jumped in surprise, before finding herself quickly accepting it, her lips parting as her right hand instinctually began to reach for the dark-haired girl’s side. A few moments later, the dark-haired girl eventually pulled back, Anukai following her for a moment before eventually catching herself. Their eyes locked for a moment as the redhead detected the smile in them without even looking at the rest of her face.  


“I’m sorry,” she said softly, her voice breathy, “it looks like I only made it worse.”  


Anukai rolled her eyes as Ikrie laughed, running her thumb across her cheek. A moment later, the redhead finally managed to break her eye contact to glance down at her right hand, noticing how her tightly it was gripping the dark-haired girl’s side. She quickly released her grip, only for Ikrie to laugh softly.  


“I don’t mind.”  


The Banuk redhead grinned sheepishly, averting her gaze, yet again, only for Ikrie to place one more, chaste kiss against her lips before finally letting her hand fall away from her face.  


“Still hungry?”  


Anukai nodded insistently, and Ikrie began to lead the way out of their room. As soon as they were in the hallway, outside, the redhead cast a lingering glance to the door across from theirs before turning to follow her companion to the main hallway. As they continued walking, Anukai continued to attempt to curl her left hand into a fist before relaxing it, each motion seeming smoother, but still somewhat delayed. When Ikrie came to a stop before her, she nearly ran into the other girl before glancing up to realize that they had already arrived at the door to the dining hall.  


The dark-haired girl shot her a smirk before pressing the box of light beside the door, prompting it to slide open. Immediately, Anukai was struck by the amount of people inside the hall, and she subconsciously found herself moving her left arm behind herself slightly. Ikrie gestured toward the food at the far side of the room, and the redhead nodded, vaguely gesturing to a table in the far corner.  


As the dark-haired girl made her way through the crowd, Anukai quickly slipped through anyone in the way until she was able to take a seat at the empty end of the table, slipping onto the bench, but keeping her left arm held at her side, mostly blocked by the table’s surface. Her gaze swept over the people at the nearby tables, her right leg bouncing anxiously as she tried not to actually make eye contact with any of them.  


As the seconds ticked by, she began to more insistently search for signs of Ikrie. Once she had lost track of how long she had been sitting at the table, and she felt entirely unable to sit still, her eyes locked on a familiar head of dark hair through the crowd of people on the far side of the room. Her leg stopped bouncing for a moment as she felt the strange, tingling feeling at the back of her neck wane, only for a sinking feeling to appear in her stomach when she caught sight of a splash of copper behind the dark-haired head.  


She swallowed the heavy lump in her throat just before Ikrie appeared at the table, sliding a plate in front of Anukai before taking a seat next to her. The redhead’s attention, though, was fixed on Ara as she took a seat opposite her with a sigh.  


“Look who I found,” Ikrie laughed.  


“Not hard to find me around here, you know,” the other redhead said, laughing, as well. “You can always just ask.”  


The dark-haired girl laughed softly before turning to Anukai, nodding toward the plate in front of her.  


“Got your favorite, again.”  


Anukai smiled weakly, glancing down at the plate to see the small piece of yellow bread on it.  


“Thanks.”  


Silence fell over the three of them for several moments as Anukai began to pick at her food, tearing off a piece of meat and idly placing the sliver she had torn off in her mouth.  


“So… how’s the arm going?”  


The Banuk redhead glanced up at Ara, pausing for a moment before shrugging.  


“Moving a bit.”  


“Well, that’s progress,” the other redhead shrugged.  


“Something like that.”  


Silence fell over them, once again, for several seconds before Ikrie cleared her throat.  


“So, after all this that happened… are you all going to stay here?”  


“In this bunker?”  


The dark-haired girl nodded.  


“I mean… we don’t really have somewhere else to go,” Ara shrugged.  


“Why not back to Reva?”  


The other redhead let out a short, dry laugh as she popped a piece of food from her own plate into her mouth.  


“I don’t think I’m particularly looking to head back there so soon, myself.”  


“Why not?”  


Both girls glanced over at Anukai to find her finally looking up from her food, her eyes locked on the other redhead across from her. Something unreadable passed over Ara’s face for a moment before she cleared her throat.  


“Don’t like feeling like I’m going back anywhere, you know?”  


The Banuk redhead hesitated for a moment before nodding, looking back down at her plate. Ikrie and Ara continued to converse while Anukai remained silent, only offering the bare minimum of responses when provoked, until their plates were all empty. The dark-haired girl leaned forward slightly, eying the plate before Anukai before glancing up at her.  


“You finished all of that,” she commented.  


“So I did.”  


“Feeling… not sick?”  


“I’m not going to vomit, no,” the Banuk redhead said, shaking her head.  


Ikrie smiled, placing one hand on her back and smiling.  


“Progress.”  


Anukai offered a small, weak smile in return, before Ikrie grabbed all of their plates and began to rise from her seat, saying she would be right back. As she disappeared back into the crowd, Ara watched her go for a moment before turning back to Anukai, leaning forward onto the table slightly.  


“Hey, listen,” she said quietly but insistently, “I know that what you’re going through with the arm is a lot, but… you’re not ‘less than human’ or… anything like that.”  


“What?”  


“Because of your arm—”  


“I heard you, but… where is this coming from?”  


“Because… I… uh… we’re more alike… than maybe we thought.”  


“Oh? So now you have a secret metal arm, too?”  


“No—”  


“Then how are we the same?” Anukai snapped, leaning forward into the table, as well.  


“Because I’ve— _seen_ things,” Ara replied, prompting the Banuk redhead to recoil slightly, eyes widening, “felt things and… based on your expression right now, I take it I’m not alone.”  


Silence fell over them for a moment before Anukai swallowed painfully, her jaw clenching tightly.  


“So,” she said slowly, “now you just… think you know everything about me?”  


“No, but—”  


“Hey, you two…”  


They both whirled toward Ikrie as she approached them, prompting the dark-haired girl to stop in place, glancing between the two redheads.  


“Is… everything okay?”  


“Oh, fine, just… bonding,” Anukai snapped, leaning back from the table and glancing toward Ara.  


“Oh? That’s… good…”  


“Is it?”  


Ara sighed heavily, shaking her head as she ran her hand over the tied-back strip of hair atop her head, fidgeting with the bun-like tie at the back for a moment.  


“I mean… you two—”  


“Oh, now you’re going to use that, too?” Anukai snapped, turning back toward Ikrie as she felt the fire building in her chest, once again.  


“What?”  


“We’re the same—we look the same—we _know_ each other,” Anukai spat, her right hand clenching into a tight fist on the table’s surface. “You sure you wouldn’t just rather have her? The whole version? The less broken version?”  


Ikrie’s eyes went wide as Anukai’s voice began to grow even louder, the vague realization that others around them were beginning to go silent, as well, registering in the back of her mind.  


“Why keep dealing with me, who’s now less of a person, when she’s right here?” Anukai continued, gesturing wildly to Ara and prompting her to lean back slightly. “It’d be an easy trade!”  


“Anukai… no…”  


“Maybe Vansa should have just saved us all the trouble and not bothered to put this on me,” the Banuk redhead continued, gesturing at her left arm. “Maybe I should just rip it off!”  


“Anukai!”  


“Maybe then I’d be just like the Great Banukai you tried to compare me to,” she continued, beginning to rise out of her seat, “and the Blue Light that you think comes from this— _thing_ —can burn its way out of me and—”  


“Anukai, stop!”  


Ikrie suddenly grabbed Anukai by her upper arm, dragging her from her seat at the table and beginning to pull her through the crowd toward the door out of the dining hall. The redhead attempted to wriggle free, but the dark-haired huntress held firm, refusing to release her despite how much Anukai struggled. Finally, they charged into the hallway outside the dining hall, where Ikrie suddenly turned them to the left, leading them farther away toward another side hallway, where she turned and brought them to a sudden halt, releasing the redhead only to move within a foot of her.  


“What are you doing?!” she demanded.  


“Pointing out what seems to be—”  


“Anukai, stop talking!”  


The redhead paused, her eyes widening for a moment as Ikrie stamped her foot, her eyes locking with Anukai’s with an intensity she had never seen from them before.  


“You’re not making any sense, you’re wrong, and now you’re going to listen to me, got it?!”  


The redhead’s mouth opened as if to retort, but the intensity of Ikrie’s glare froze any words that had begun to form in her throat, forcing them back down.  


“I _know_ that you and Ara are not the same person,” she began, “and the same goes with you and Aloy. I know that, and I’m not about to go running to either of them and leave you. I didn’t spend a _week_ just worrying about some red-haired girl… I spent a week worrying about _you_.”  


The dark-haired girl jabbed her in the chest with one finger to emphasize her point, prompting the redhead to stagger backward.  


“Do I wish that you had never been injured—that you had never lost your arm to that machine? Of course!” Ikrie snapped, her chest heaving. “Does that mean I’m about to leave you alone and just—cast you aside because of it? No!”  


Anukai opened her mouth to interrupt, but Ikrie angrily jabbed a finger into her chest, prompting her to stop.  


“I—am not—leaving you!” she growled. “With every ounce of strength I have, I hope our songs are not set to diverge here—now—and I hope that you don’t feel the same.”  


Suddenly, Ikrie grabbed the redhead by both shoulders, gripping her tightly as she brought her face within a foot of Anukai’s.  


“I thought I was watching you die,” Ikrie continued, shaking Anukai slightly as she spoke. “I thought the last memory I was going to have of you was watching you bleed to death in this… place!”  


The redhead swallowed painfully as Ikrie continued to shake her more vigorously.  


“I didn’t sleep Anukai, because I _had_ to know you were alive. When Vansa said you were going to live… I wept… because I was so afraid that a piece of me—that my heart—had been ripped out of my chest, and I was never going to get _that_ piece back again…”  


Ikrie trailed off as full sobs wracked her body, seemingly passing down her arms as she continued to shake Anukai.  


“So please don’t tell me that it wasn’t worth it, that you wish you were dead, that you think I could so easily just cast you aside… because I just got _you_ back… and _I_ wouldn’t survive that, again… I couldn’t…”  


The redhead finally felt the last few shreds of anger from earlier fall away from her as her throat constricted and she felt her own hot tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. A moment later, Ikrie leaned forward, pressing a kiss insistently into her lips, only to pull away after a moment or two to slide her hands from the redhead’s shoulder, sliding them behind her back as Anukai did her best to embrace her with one arm. Immediately, she could feel every sob, every shake that wracked the dark-haired girl’s body rippling through her own.  


Anukai buried her face in Ikrie’s hair, closing her eyes against the streams of water that ran from them.  


“I’m sorry…” she breathed. “I’m so… so sorry…”  


“Promise me…”  


“I promise. I… I didn’t mean it… I’m… I’m not going anywhere.”  


“Not without me.”  


Silence fell over them for several moments before Anukai nodded, still keeping her face mostly buried.  


“Not without you.”


	4. A Good Pair of Gloves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy monday, y'all.
> 
> Today's adventure was getting a new car battery as mine died right when I tried to go get take-out. Oops.
> 
> Anyway, the chapter got done and while it's still a bit angsty, hopefully there's a silver lining here and there.
> 
> We won't be in this bunker with an injured Anukai forever, I swear.
> 
> Anyhow, enjoy!

Following the outburst in the dining hall, both girls agreed to not head back in, but instead hovered around the hallways where they had met Vansa before. Ikrie attempted to be encouragement for Anukai as she tested moving her left arm’s elbow, although it only fared marginally better than it had in their shared room earlier. On the fourth attempt, it suddenly shot into a bent position, as it had before, prompting both girls to jump as Anukai frantically tried to straighten it, once again, only for the sound of a heavy, beleaguered sigh to draw both of their attentions to the far end of the hallway.  


Vansa was leaning against the wall, her arms folded over her chest as she hung her head.  


“How could I have guessed you would try it on your own?”  


The redhead grinned sheepishly as the healer woman pushed away from the wall, approaching her and gently placing a hand on her left forearm.  


“Gently… think about moving it slowly and smoothly…”  


After following her suggestion, Anukai found her arm straightening out, once again. Once it was fully extended, she did the same, following a rhythm set by the healer woman as she gently held one hand just beside her arm, guiding it in toward her chest and back out, once again. Slowly, the motion became more natural, until Anukai was able to repeat the motion without almost pounding herself in the chest or throwing a near-punch toward Vansa.  


“See? Time, Anukai,” Vansa sighed, patting her arm. “Now, how’s the hand going?”  


“Better,” she shrugged, showing how she was able to more easily clench it into a fist, although the motions still felt slightly delayed.  


“Definitely progress,” the healer woman nodded, reaching for something on her belt before producing the small device she had used the day before, Anukai eying it warily. “I’m not going to zap you with it, again. I’m going to use it to check some things.”  


The Banuk redhead didn’t feel any more reassured, but swallowed nervously as she held her arm out toward Vansa slightly. The healer woman held the device over the point where the metal met her skin, pressing something atop it and sending a beam of blue light from the top. Anukai squirmed uncontrollably as she swore she felt a tingling sensation in the same spot in her arm, but it quickly passed as Vansa stopped the light and held the device up before her.  


“Looks like the nerves are linking quite nicely,” she said, nodding. “Do you have feeling in it, yet?”  


“F-feeling?”  


Vansa smirked as she nodded.  


“Yes, there should be feeling. It… may seem odd at first, but it will help you to actually grip things and—you know—interact with the world.”  


The healer woman gently lifted Anukai’s left arm, turning it over so the palm faced the ceiling before gently poking the tips of the fingers with her own. To the redhead’s surprise, she noted a strange tingling that seemed to come with each motion, along with an undeniable sensation of pressure being applied.  


“I-I think… a little bit,” she said softly.  


“That’s good,” Vansa said, shaking her arm slightly with a grin. “Means those nerves are really bonding.”  


Anukai swallowed nervously as the healer woman released her arm, allowing her to bend her elbow before poking at her fingertips, herself. The sensation coming from both hands was enough to send a strong shiver down her spine, prompting her to quickly stop the motions.  


“Well, it seems you’re getting the hang of it already,” Vansa continued, drawing her attention away from her arm, finally. “Just keep at it—keep working the arm—and you should be able to move it like second nature in no time.”  


Anukai nodded slowly, sighing.  


“I… I still can’t believe… that could happen.”  


“I know,” Vansa sighed, folding her arms over her chest. “I barely believed it at first, too, until I met a man with an arm like yours in Reva and saw that it was… no different, really.”  


The Banuk redhead still didn’t look convinced, prompting the healer woman to sigh, stepping forward and placing both hands on her shoulders, leaning toward her slightly to look her in the eyes.  


“You’re a survivor, clearly, and not just after what happened to your arm,” she said quietly. “I can tell it’s not in you to just give up on this.”  


With that, Vansa pat her on one shoulder before stepping away, glancing between the two Banuk girls.  


“Duty calls, once again,” she sighed. “As always, you know the general area of where to find me.”  


With that, she disappeared around the corner of the hallway, leaving Ikrie and Anukai alone. The redhead let out a heavy sigh, looking down at her arm as the hand clenched into a fist and relaxed several times, her elbow bending slightly as it did. A moment later, she saw Ikrie’s hand reach toward the metal one, and Anukai instinctually pulled it away, jumping in surprise as she looked up at the dark-haired girl to find a similarly surprised expression on her face before it turned to something sadder.  


“Anukai…”  


“I-I’m sorry, just… I-I don’t want to… accidentally…”  


“You’re not going to hurt me.”  


“You don’t know that.”  


“I do.”  


Despite her attempt to move away a moment ago, Ikrie took Anukai’s metal hand in her own, pulling it between them before sliding her hand to cup beneath it. The redhead watched as her fingers gently traced over the palm and along the fingers, the slight sensation of pressure and touch sending a shiver down her spine.  


“What does it feel like?”  


“Like… like someone dragging a piece of soft fur across my hand,” Anukai said slowly.  


Ikrie nodded slowly as her fingers ran along Anukai’s metal ones for a moment before she gently laid her entire hand across the palm, wrapping her fingers around the side. The redhead swallowed nervously before focusing on slowly and gingerly closing the metal fingers. They moved incredibly slowly, but smoother than she had ever managed before, until she felt the fingertips gingerly touch the back of Ikrie’s hand.  


Anukai let out the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding, breathing heavily for a moment or two as she glanced up at the dark-haired girl to find her staring back at her, a soft smile on her face.  


“See? I told you.”  


A moment later, she leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss against Anukai’s lips, as well. The redhead quickly melted into it, parting her lips slightly and turning her head ever so slightly to the right. A moment later, she felt Ikrie’s body pressed closely up against hers, her body heat easily passing through her tunic and Anukai’s, the warmth quickly spreading throughout her.  


After several long moments, their lips broke contact, but they remained as close as before, eyes locking almost instantly. As they did, a grin broke out on Ikrie’s face, her gaze glancing down for a moment. Confusion came over Anukai as she followed her gaze, only for her breath to catch in her chest as she found her left hand braced on the dark-haired girl’s side, just above her hip. She quickly became aware of the sensation of pressure and warmth underneath it, as well, and she swallowed nervously, turning her gaze back to Ikrie’s eyes.  


“You really are learning quickly.”  


Ikrie placed another quick kiss to the tip of her nose as a thought suddenly occurred to the redhead.  


“Did you do that on purpose?”  


“Do what?”  


“Make me do that.”  


“I mean… I didn’t _make_ you do anything,” Ikrie sighed, pressing herself insistently against the redhead, once again, as a smirk tugged at her lips, “but I had a feeling what might happen.”  


Anukai scoffed as the dark-haired girl laughed.  


“I don’t know if I should trust you anymore…”  


Ikrie quickly placed another kiss on her lips, halting anything else she had been about to say, the words coming out as a sigh as the dark-haired girl pulled away. Ikrie’s eyebrows lifted for a moment, as if in question, prompting Anukai to shake her head.  


“Okay, fine…”  


“I assure you, Anukai,” the other girl said softly, leaning her forehead against the redhead’s gently, “I only mean the best for you.”  


Shortly thereafter, Anukai wanted to attempt handling her bow with her left arm, but Ikrie insisted that they start smaller, something with less complicated movements. Instead, she led the redhead back to the dining hall, where she grabbed an empty plate and a mug from the serving area before returning to the table in the corner where Anukai had found a seat. The dark-haired girl placed the plate before her, holding the mug in her own hands as she took a seat across from her.  


“Pick it up.”  


The redhead raised her eyebrows slightly but tentatively reached forward, focusing on making sure her arm bent appropriately and her fingers opened. Once they were over the edge of the plate, she carefully closed them and attempted to life the plate, but it slid from her grasp, clattering to the table and prompting her to jump in surprise, looking around.  


“It’s okay, try again.”  


Anukai sighed, refocusing on the plate as she attempted the motion, once again, squeezing the edge of it more tightly and lifting it from the table. This time, it remained in her grasp, and she let out a triumphant laugh before placing it back on the table, once again. As she did, though, she noted that the lip, where she had grasped it a moment ago, sported suspiciously finger-shaped dents in it and she frowned.  


“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Ikrie said quickly, rotating it so an unmarked portion faced Anukai, “go for… somewhere in the middle.”  


“Okay, but how?” the redhead sighed. “I could— _feel_ it—but I still crushed it.”  


“Maybe… rather than focusing on making yourself grip it, focus on if you can feel it in your hand.”  


Anukai paused, her jaw working for a moment before she carefully reached for the plate, once again. As her fingers gently closed on its surface, she did as Ikrie had suggested, focusing on whether she could detect the sensation of the metal plate. She closed her eyes, slowly willing her fingers to close bit by bit until something registered in the back of her mind. It was faint, like Vansa’s and Ikrie’s touches had been earlier, but it was undeniably the feeling of something actually under her fingertips. With her eyes closed, she carefully lifted the plate off the table, waiting to hear if it would clatter out of her grasp, again. When no sounds of clanging metal came, she opened her eyes, staring at the plate still in her grasp.  


She carefully held her right hand toward it, taking hold of the plate before releasing it from her left. When she looked at the side she had just been gripping, she didn’t see dents like the first time, but perhaps only a slight distortion to its shape.  


“Look at that,” Ikrie said, grinning. “Now, up for a challenge?”  


Anukai scoffed, placing the late back on the table, but off to her side.  


“Always.”  


The dark-haired girl slid the mug over to her, Anukai catching it with her right hand and turning it so the handle faced her left side. With a deep breath, she carefully attempted to thread her fingers through the opening between the handle and the main portion of the vessel, but she only succeeded in accidentally turning it away from her more.  


“Maybe just grab the other side.”  


Anukai sighed, turning the mug with her right hand, again, before opening the fingers of her left hand to attempt to grab the broad side of the mug. As soon as her palm made contact with it, she focused on the sensation of feeling, once again, forcing herself to find it before allowing her fingers to curl around the vessel.  


As she lifted it from the table, she let out a triumphant laugh, yet again, glancing to Ikrie. A moment later, however, her hand tightened involuntarily and she heard the soft sound of the bending metal as the side caved in slightly under her grasp and she quickly released it, letting the mug clatter to the table.  


“Dammit…”  


Anukai let her arm fall to the table, only for the resounding clunk of the metal on metal contact to send a steep shiver down her spine.  


“Did that hurt?”  


“No, just… weird,” Anukai sighed, rubbing at her eyes with her right hand.  


“Well… it was a good start… getting there…” Ikrie supplied, spinning the partially bent cup before her slowly.  


“Okay, but when can we get _there_?” the redhead sighed, letting her arm fall on the table before her, but judiciously making sure she wasn’t touching the other with it.  


“Vansa mentioned a week for that other person…”  


Anukai cursed under her breath, leaning her head forward until it rested on the table, closing her eyes, as well. A moment later, she heard the sound of Ikrie rising from her seat, only to feel her settle into the one next to her, one arm wrapping around the redhead’s back.  


“Look how far you’ve come in a day, though.”  


“Not far enough…”  


“Anukai, I understand that you’re frustrated, but please try to think rationally,” Ikrie said, shaking her slightly. “Vansa isn’t some—all-knowing god or anything—she’s a person, like you, who did her best to save your life, and give you the chance to get your arm back. She couldn’t work a miracle cure that just had you pop to your feet the first day and be perfectly healed, as if nothing ever happened, but she gave you everything she could… you just need to work with it.”  


The redhead let out another heavy sigh, turning her head to the side and attempting to focus on Ikrie, but the mane of red hair that blocked her face made it nearly impossible. A moment later, however, the other girl had carefully brushed it out of the way, grinning.  


“You know I’m right.”  


Anukai frowned slightly, which only prompted the dark-haired girl to rub her back slightly more forcefully, shaking her as she did. The next several hours passed with the girls alternating between testing Anukai’s dexterity with her arm and walking about the facility to keep from staying in one place for too long.  


Finally, once the redhead had grown sick of simply trying to grab and move items like cups, plates, and other random objects they had found littered about the space, she had tried to convince Ikrie to let her grab a bow and try firing it above ground, but the dark-haired girl continued to insist that it was too soon to try that. In the end, they at least compromised by taking a trip up the elevator to see the outdoors.  


As soon as the large doorway at the top of the elevator opened, they were both immediately assaulted by a barrage of intense sunlight, prompting both girls to squeeze their eyes shut tightly for several long seconds until they dared begin to open them slowly. Finally, Anukai was able to see without being in incredible pain, but she still kept her eyes somewhat squinted as the bright light reflected off the sand around them, almost like it had off the snow of the Cut. When she glanced toward Ikrie, she found her also just getting her bearings, blinking as she glanced around the derelict building around them.  


“Haven’t seen the sun in a while,” Anukai remarked, grinning.  


Ikrie shook her head.  


“No, not exactly.”  


With a sigh, the redhead closed her eyes, tilting her head back toward the sunlight pouring in through the holes in the ceiling, breathing deeply. The scent of the metal mixed with the sand around them was not as familiar as that of the snow and the rock and the trees, but it had an unmistakably earthy quality to it that at least filled her with a sense of actually being in the real world, and not a man-made metal bunker.  


The girls wandered out of the ancient ruin and across the open ground outside it, the heat quickly hitting them as they left the partial shade of the former structure. Anukai alternated fanning the top of her tunic with her right hand and wiping at the sweat on her brow with the back of it. As a result, she led the way toward one of the other half-buried structures they had seen before, coming to a stop in the large opening at the front of it. Immediately, a small herd of Striders lifted their heads, looking toward them, their “eyes” remaining blue as they appeared to contemplate the new arrivals.  


A moment later, however, they had all returned to their grazing and milling about, while the Banuk girls wandered around them, glancing around the inside of the building. Like the one that hid the elevator, there were multiple large holes in the ceiling that let in beams of bright sunlight, but other than the walls and ceiling overhead, it was nearly impossible to tell what the space had originally been used for, a thousand years ago.  


“That bunker seems to be where people lived, here,” the redhead commented, glancing around the empty half of the structure before them, running her hand across her brow, once again, “so what do you think this place was for?”  


“Storage, like we’re using it?” Ikrie suggested.  


“You mean for food and things?”  


“Maybe.”  


Eventually, after discovering nothing interesting in the remainder of the structure, the girls returned to the entrance, taking seats in the area where the shadows cast by the walls around the opening met the sunlight that streamed through it. As Ikrie quickly laid down beside her, stretching out with her head and torso lying in the patch of sunlight, Anukai remained seated with her legs crossed, rotated her left arm slowly, grimacing at the feeling somewhere between a tingling and a slight burning in it. A moment later, she suddenly froze, her eyes staring vacantly at the air before her. The uncomfortable, if perhaps slightly painful, feelings were not just coming from the portion of her actual arm near the shoulder, she realized, but seemingly also from the lower portion of her left arm, itself.  


Her gaze slowly fell on it as she held it up before her, her fingers gently running over the surface of the forearm, poking and prodding at it slightly as she did. The sensation of touch was undeniable, although each small point from her fingertips seemed to burn slightly, like the pains she had felt earlier.  


“Everything okay?”  


She jumped at the sound of Ikrie’s voice, glancing down at her as she sighed, letting her arm fall by her side, once again.  


“Yeah, just… I don’t know if I didn’t notice before or… what, but…”  


“Gaining more feeling?”  


Anukai nodded, attempting to brush some of her hair out of her face, but finding that quite a few strands were almost glued to her skin by sweat, providing more of a challenge to move them aside.  


“That seems like a good thing,” the dark-haired girl said, smiling softly.  


“Yeah, just… feels weird.”  


“Does it hurt?”  


“No, just… it’s strange.”  


Ikrie’s smile faded to a look of concern, prompting Anukai to sigh.  


“I’ll be fine.”  


“If it hurts badly,” Ikrie pressed on, regardless, “let me know and we can get Vansa.”  


“It’s not that bad, honestly,” the redhead replied, attempting to smile in return, but it felt forced.  


The dark-haired girl stared back at her for a moment with an expression that clearly conveyed she didn’t believe her, but she didn’t press further, instead sighing heavily and closing her eyes, turning her head to face straight upward, once again.  


“I could fall asleep right here.”  


“We’ve only been awake for a few hours.”  


“It’s good for you, you know.”  


The redhead laughed softly, tracing small lines in the sand before her with her right hand as her gaze followed them for a moment before glancing toward Ikrie, once again. Her face was more serene than she had seen it since they had left the Cut, and it prompted something tight and somewhat sad to grasp the redhead’s chest. The thought that it was her fault that thought had even occurred passed through her mind, and she closed her eyes, hanging her head slightly.  


Finally, when the feeling in her chest grew too strong, she forced her eyes open, glancing down at Ikrie, once again, before carefully adjusting her position, turning to stretch her legs out as she moved beside the dark-haired girl, lying on the warm sand at her right side. A moment later, she had pressed forward, wrapping her right arm tentatively across her torso as she nuzzled her face into the dark-haired girl’s shoulder, the skin warmer to the touch than normal from where the sun had beat down on it so far.  


The other girl shifted at the sudden touch of the redhead, unclasping her hands from over her stomach and extracting her right arm from its position pinned to her side by Anukai and instead wrapping it behind her back. The redhead shuffled closer, once again, propping her head on Ikrie’s shoulder, itself, but still turning to bury her face in the fabric of her tunic. They both finally fell still as Anukai’s eyes remained closed, her breathing seemingly falling in synch with Ikrie’s within a few moments as she felt the rise and fall of the dark-haired girl’s chest press against her own, providing a steady rhythm to draw her focus.  


Despite doing everything she could to relax, Anukai found that she wasn’t able to truly fall asleep, although the tingling and pain in her left arm had subsided, thankfully. Instead, she carefully continued to work her left arm, focusing on moving and clenching the fingers and subtly bending the elbow in the space between herself and Ikrie. After a few minutes, she realized that the motions were almost becoming second-nature, as she didn’t have to actively focus on willing her arm to move, as she had before. With this revelation, however, came the aches and pains, once again.  


With a grimace, she let her arm fall still, letting out a heavy sigh as she adjusted her position slightly, shifting closer to the warm body next to her to try to close the gap that had let her work her left arm. The dark-haired girl seemed to react in turn, shifting her arm slightly and pulling the redhead more tightly against her side.  


“How can you just fall asleep?” Anukai muttered, attempting to close her eyes and resign to resting, even if she couldn’t actually sleep.  


“I didn’t.”  


“Fooled me.”  


A soft laugh came from Ikrie, the sound vibrating her chest, and subsequently Anukai’s cheek, before the redhead felt a soft kiss against the crown of her head. With a sigh, she attempted to allow her body to fully relax, her weight leaning slightly more on top of the dark-haired girl as she did. A moment later, she felt Ikrie’s arm shift around her and her fingers began to slowly run through her hair. At first, a tingling feeling ran down her spine at the sensation, but she quickly found it dissipating throughout her body as a small smile tugged at her lips.  


The moment of serenity seemed to last for only minutes, while simultaneously passing in hours, before the sound of a heavy pounding began to rouse Anukai from her sleep-like state. When she finally opened her eyes, she noted two pinpoints of bright blue lights approaching and she quickly sat bolt upright. The sound of the pounding quickly slowed to a stop as the redhead felt the dark-haired girl before her begin to stir, as well.  


As she blinked against the drowsiness that had settled over her, she quickly realized that the points of light were from Striders that had approached, coming to a stop yards away from the Banuk girls in the now-sunset levels of light that had settled over the sand. As Anukai’s gaze settled on the machines, she began to make out two figures atop them, each beginning to slide from their mounts.  


“Sorry, girls, didn’t mean to interrupt.”  


The Banuk redhead’s gaze settled on the image of the older redhead beside her Strider several yards away, a heavy sigh escaping her as she felt the dark-haired huntress before her tense at the sound of her voice.  


“Just enjoying the sun,” Anukai sighed.  


“I don’t blame you, just don’t want to create an accident,” Aloy replied, smirking as she guided her Strider past the Banuk girls, leading it to the herd of idle machines before pulling something from the bags tied to its back.  


When Aloy turned back to the younger girls, Anukai raised her eyebrows in question.  


“Hunting?”  


“Someone has to bring food back for everyone else,” the older redhead shrugged, “plus Tal and I felt like we needed to get outside.”  


Anukai nodded, glancing down toward Ikrie before her to find the other girl’s jaw clenched tightly, her gaze fixed on the Banuk redhead’s face. As Anukai’s expression contorted in confusion, the older couple approached them, coming to a stop a yard or so away from the girls.  


“Everything okay with you two?” Aloy asked softly.  


“Yeah.”  


“We’re fine.”  


Anukai glanced down at Ikrie, once again, to find her staring back at her with a hard expression.  


“Ikrie…”  


“What?” she interrupted. “I don’t have much to say.”  


The Banuk redhead sighed, glancing up at the older women before her, only to find Talanah crouching down before them.  


“Ikrie, I understand your aggravation—”  


“Oh, I’d say it’s beyond that.”  


The Banuk huntress glared up at the raven-haired huntress, prompting Talanah to sigh heavily.  


“Ikrie, I know more than you think.”  


“Oh, do you?”  


“Can we talk, specifically?”  


The dark-haired Banuk contemplated her for a moment before glancing toward Anukai, prompting her to shrug.  


“You talked to them, last night,” Ikrie said softly.  


“To Aloy, yes,” the younger redhead sighed.  


“So, you two…”  


“We _talked_ , yes,” Anukai interrupted.  


“But she—”  


“Ikrie, we—”  


“If it weren’t for her idea, we’d be—”  


“Right back where we started,” Anukai interrupted. “Remember what we talked about yesterday?”  


“And you said—”  


“And _you_ said,” the redhead shot back, giving her dark-haired companion a hard look, “that it wasn’t a curse.”  


Ikrie’s expression contorted in a series of conflicting emotions for several moments before she sighed heavily, closing her eyes as she rubbed at them with one hand.  


“Ikrie…”  


“Fine, if you say—”  


“I don’t want to force you—”  


“You had your talk,” Ikrie interrupted, beginning to sit up and groaning before turning to glance over at Anukai, “guess I’ll have mine.”  


“Ikrie…”  


“We’ll compare them, after,” the dark-haired Banuk said, ignoring her and beginning to get to her feet as Anukai attempted to hold her in place, but the other girl simply shrugged her off, turning back to Talanah. “So, you wanted to talk?”  


The Carja woman glanced between and the two redheads for a moment before sighing and rising to her feet, as well.  


“Sure, let’s… over here, I guess…”  


As Talanah led them away, Anukai watched Ikrie go, a constricting feeling, tighter than she had ever felt before, began to build in her chest. A moment later, Aloy took a seat a few feet from her, sighing.  


“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”  


“She hates you two,” Anukai interrupted, her voice barely louder than a whisper.  


The older redhead paused for a moment before sighing, her head hanging slightly.  


“She told me that she would blame me if you died.”  


“But I didn’t.”  


“I know.”  


Anukai sighed heavily, shaking her head as she rubbed at her temple with her right hand.  


“How’s the arm coming?”  


She glanced over toward Aloy for a moment before shrugging.  


“Can move it more, so I guess that’s good.”  


“Does it hurt?”  


Anukai shrugged.  


“Nothing I can’t handle.”  


Aloy’s expression contorted in concern as the Banuk redhead felt herself squirm under her gaze.  


“It’ll be a process…”  


“I know.”  


The redheads fell silent for several long moments before Anukai sighed, hanging her head slightly.  


“I tried to use it to grab a plate and a mug today, and I nearly crushed both.”  


Aloy let out a short laugh, drawing the Banuk redhead’s attention, once again.  


“With that kind of strength, you might make me jealous.”  


Anukai smirked as Aloy offered a grin in return, stretching one arm behind her head.  


“It sounds like things are coming along, though.”  


The Banuk redhead shrugged as the older redhead sighed, letting her arms fall into her lap.  


“I completely understand Ikrie,” Aloy said.  


“Me, too, but…”  


“She wasn’t there, last night.”  


Anukai shook her head, sighing, again.  


“I didn’t expect her to completely be on the best terms with you two, but… well, I also didn’t expect her to be so angry.”  


“It’s because she cares about you, kid,” Aloy replied softly, “a lot, and because of everything, she sees me as the direct cause for almost losing you. I know your thoughts weren’t far off from that, initially, based on our conversation.”  


The Banuk redhead shrugged, dragging one finger through the sand before her idly, once again.  


“What did Talanah want to talk to her about?” she finally asked.  


“Well, for one I think she knew she wouldn’t talk to me directly,” Aloy replied, laughing dryly, “but also I think it’s what she said: she knows what she’s going through more than either of you realize.”  


Anukai frowned as she glanced up at the older redhead before her.  


“Do you mean with the— _stuff_ —you told me about last night?”  


Aloy’s lips drew into a thin line before she sighed, nodding.  


“Well, yes, that and… the past week, too.”  


Confusion creased the Banuk redhead’s face as the older redhead adjusted her position slightly, stretching her legs out before her before pulling them in toward her chest, wrapping her arms around them.  


“I already told you how I felt after watching you almost die,” she began, “and so for that week, I was in terrible shape, too. I could barely sleep, barely think about anything else, and when I did sleep, it was just… nightmares and memories I desperately didn’t want to relive.”  


The older redhead fell silent for a moment before sighing.  


“Talanah took all of that, even when I tried to not put that on her, but… she refused to get out of the way or let me pull back. That… that’s how we’ve functioned for years,” Aloy said softly. “I take it you’re also familiar with the feeling.”  


Anukai shrugged, the strange, tight feeling in her chest seeming to make its presence known, again.  


“I understand your side, but… well, the Banuk don’t put a lot of emphasis on expressing yourself to others, so everything with letting someone else in is rather new territory for me.”  


“Ikrie seems to be taking it in stride.”  


Anukai laughed, glancing up toward the two dark-haired figures outside the derelict building they had taken shelter inside to find them both locked in what appeared to be a rather intense conversation.  


“She’s not like most Banuk, I guess.”  


A few moments later, Anukai watched as Ikrie threw her arms in the air, spinning on her heel and pacing away from Talanah for a moment before whirling back toward her. The vague sounds of her voice drifted across the open ground to the redheads, but the other two were still too far away to actually make out any real words.  


“Do you know what I’m most sorry about?” Anukai asked softly, her eyes still locked on the dark-haired Banuk before her.  


“What’s that?”  


“That I put _her_ through all of this,” she continued. “I dragged her out of the Cut, out of everything we ever knew, just to chase some strange voice that called me someone else’s name.”  


The sound of soft laughter came from Aloy and Anukai finally tore her attention away from Ikrie to glance over at the older redhead to find her grinning ruefully.  


“Oh, I know that feeling all too well, kid.”  


Just then, the sound of footsteps approaching across the sandy ground reached them and both redheads glanced over to find Ikrie and Talanah returning, the younger girl wearing an unreadable expression on her face while the older Carja appeared more sad than anything else. Concern creased Anukai’s face just before Ikrie came to a stop before her.  


“Anukai, can we…?” she said, gesturing out of the building.  


“What? What’s wrong?”  


“Can we just… not be here?”  


“Ikrie, what happened?”  


“Nothing, just—”  


“Then sit… _please_.”  


The dark-haired Banuk’s jaw worked tensely for several moments before she finally sighed, flopping to the ground beside Anukai and quickly wrapping her arms around her knees, pulling them close to her chest. The younger redhead hesitated for a moment, her right arm instinctually wanting to reach toward her, but something prompted her to hold back.  


“Ikrie, I didn’t want to make you angrier,” Talanah sighed, taking a seat beside Aloy, which prompted the older redhead to quickly wrap an arm behind her shoulders. “All of that is perfectly valid, but I was hoping to at least help you understand—”  


“Oh, I understand just fine,” Ikrie snapped, interrupting her with a fiery glare, “and I still don’t have anything else to say.”  


“To me, you mean?” Aloy interjected, raising her eyebrows as the dark-haired Banuk’s jaw clenched tightly, once again.  


After several long moments of silence, the older redhead sighed.  


“I understand, and we don’t have to talk, yet—”  


“What is there for me to say to you?” Ikrie spat, finally. “Because of you, we came out here and Anukai almost died. Thankfully, by every god, goddess, and higher force in the world she didn’t, and you get to wash your hands of the blood while I have to watch Anukai go through torment with her arm and I can’t do _anything_!”  


The other three women all instantly fell silent, their eyes widening slightly, although Anukai’s response was slightly more extreme than the others, her mouth hanging open slightly as the tight feeling in her chest quickly turned to an incredibly hollow one.  


“So yeah, I’m sorry if I don’t particularly feel like I can just relate and join in on this ‘we’re all in this together’ feeling right now.”  


With that, Ikrie began to rise to her feet, prompting Anukai to scramble to hold her back, but she was too slow to react and the dark-haired girl had already begun to walk away. The Banuk redhead then quickly tried to get to her feet, but the motion was somewhat awkward with trying to use her right arm, mainly. When she was finally standing, she took off after Ikrie, running to quickly close the gap.  


“Ikrie, wait!”  


The girl didn’t stop, but simply glanced over her shoulder toward the approaching redhead.  


“Ikrie, just—wait a moment,” Anukai said, sliding before her and blocking her path.  


The dark-haired girl finally came to a stop, sighing heavily.  


“I’m not mad at you, Anukai,” she said.  


“I know that, but… everything you just said…” she replied, reaching to place her right hand on the other girl’s shoulder, but she shrugged it off. “Ikrie, I… between that and this morning…”  


“Yeah… oh yeah…” the dark-haired girl said slowly, frowning.  


“I know that I was terrible about all of that, and… with everything I’ve seen from you so far, I’m sorry,” she continued. “I didn’t realize just how terrible of a person I was being.”  


“You’re hurt and confused,” Ikrie sighed, “it’s not your fault, I get that—”  


“But you know what pulled me out of that—out of acting like I wanted to fight everyone and everything?”  


The dark-haired girl remained silent, raising one eyebrow slightly.  


“Hearing all of that from you, and facing it head-on,” she said.  


“You want me to talk to them.”  


“I want to be able to work with all of us together, again,” Anukai sighed.  


“Why?”  


“Because just the two of us aren’t going to get very far out here, in the middle of nowhere, with me—like I am.”  


Ikrie sighed, shaking her head as she rubbed at her eyes tiredly.  


“You’re getting better…”  


“I know, but… but we’re really not going to be able to get any closer to that Mountain with only two people.”  


Ikrie suddenly froze, staring down at the ground before her for a moment before looking back up at the redhead, an unreadable expression on her face.  


“You still want to keep going there?”  


Anukai’s jaw clenched tightly as she nodded.  


“Why?!”  


The redhead forced herself not to flinch at Ikrie’s outburst, instead meeting her gaze evenly and forcing her voice to remain in control.  


“Because I want to know who or what started those machines, and maybe I can get some payback for my arm.”  


“They nearly killed you!” Ikrie shouted, stepping closer to Anukai, her eyes burning.  


“Do you remember why we ended up in Thunder’s Drum, in the first place?” the redhead replied softly.  


“What?” the dark-haired girl said, shaking her head for a moment. “We were… chasing that man…”  


“Who tried to kill Koluk, and several others.”  


“So?”  


“So that sort of deed doesn’t go unpunished, Ikrie.”  


The dark-haired girl’s teeth ground as she glared back at the redhead.  


“This isn’t the same, Anukai.”  


“You’re right,” she nodded, “it’s more personal.”  


Ikrie let out an aggravated huff as she began to pace away from her, but stopped only a few steps away, spinning around to face Anukai, once again.  


“So after all that, after everything about how we shouldn’t have come here, you want to go further?”  


The Banuk redhead inhaled deeply, squaring her jaw as she stared back at Ikrie.  


“I do.”  


The other girl met her gaze in silence for several long moments before she let out a laugh, shaking her head.  


“So that’s it… you’re going to make me go to Reva and… wherever else.”  


“I’m not _making_ you,” Anukai snapped. “I’m asking.”  


“I’m not leaving you, Anukai!” Ikrie shot back, stepping closer to her, once again. “You know that!”  


She jabbed the redhead in her chest, prompting her to recoil at the force of the touch.  


“I think we should go back, or at least not onward toward whoever or whatever did all this,” she continued, “but… I’m not leaving you alone… especially not with her.”  


“Aloy is not our enemy,” Anukai shot back quickly.  


“Did she tell you that?”  


The Banuk redhead’s jaw clenched tightly as her right hand curled into a fist at her side.  


“I’m capable of making up my own mind, Ikrie.”  


“I know, but… never mind.”  


“No, tell me.”  


The dark-haired girl stared back at her for a moment or two before sighing and throwing her arms into the air.  


“You believed Elisabet quickly when we first met her, and then you were all for believing Aloy, too, and now we know that at least one of them was definitely using us, and the other… well, we don’t know for sure, yet, but…” she trailed off, gesturing to Anukai’s left arm.  


“They’re not the same people.”  


“Really? Because they look exactly the same.”  


“And so do I!”  


Ikrie paused as Anukai’s words seemed to echo out over the open ground for a moment or two. The redhead’s chest heaved as she glared back at the other girl before her, refusing to break eye contact.  


“You can see that, I know you can,” she continued, her voice much quieter but no less intense. “Do you not trust me, then?”  


Ikrie let out a heavy sigh, her posture visibly deflating.  


“That’s not fair, Anukai.”  


“Why not?”  


“I _know_ you,” Ikrie said before gesturing back toward the ruined building with the Striders, “and I _don’t_ know her.”  


“Then let’s try to change that.”  


The dark-haired girl’s head hung forward as Anukai took a tentative step closer to her.  


“Can you trust me that far, at least?”  


Ikrie finally lifted her head as the redhead drew within a foot or so of her.  


“I always trust you, Anukai,” she said softly. “I just… don’t always agree.”  


“I’m only asking you to try,” Anukai replied, “not to change your mind right this instant.”  


As her hand gently came to rest on Ikrie’s shoulder, the dark-hair girl didn’t make to shrug it away this time, which prompted Anukai to slowly move it to cup the side of her face, Ikrie turning her head into the touch slightly.  


“I promise I’ll listen to you, otherwise,” she said softly, sparking a grin from the dark-haired girl.  


“Well, if you’re going to make that kind of deal…”  


Anukai laughed softly in response before leaning forward, placing a brief kiss on the dark-haired girl. As she pulled away, she ran her thumb across Ikrie’s cheek.  


“So is that a yes?”  


The other girl sighed, nodding as Anukai let her hand fall away from her face.  


“Fine.”  


When they returned to the ruined building, they found Aloy and Talanah waiting by the Striders, the catches from their hunt stacked beside them. They both glanced toward the Banuk girls as they approached, eying Ikrie warily.  


“We didn’t want to interrupt,” Talanah said.  


“Understandable,” Anukai replied, glancing toward Ikrie for a moment before turning back to them. “I think we worked it out… for now.”  


“Oh?”  


“I… understand what you were trying to say, earlier,” Ikrie said, looking to Talanah specifically. “I’m sorry, I… reacted as I did.”  


The Carja woman sighed, taking a tentative step closer before pausing and remaining where she was.  


“Like I said, I didn’t mean to make you angrier,” she said. “I just wanted to… well, offer an understanding, I suppose.”  


“And you have every right to be mad at me,” Aloy added, drawing the dark-haired girl’s attention. “Anukai, too, but we had our chance to talk things through.”  


“So I’ve heard,” Ikrie sighed.  


“I only want you to know that… you’re not the only one hurting, or who was hurt, by what happened,” the older redhead continued. “I can see how much you care for Anukai, and I know that only comes from years of familiarity and… well, from something more. I can’t claim to have that with either of you, at this point, so I can’t say that I know exactly what you’re going through, but I feel some of it, too.”  


Ikrie nodded in response, but otherwise remained silent, less on edge than before, but seemingly having lost all of her energy as she barely seemed to be standing on her feet beside Anukai. The Banuk redhead frowned slightly as she gingerly wrapped an arm behind her back, which only prompted the dark-haired girl to lean into her, wrapping one arm around her, as well.  


“Obviously, this isn’t just going to be the moment all of this changes,” Aloy continued, sighing, “but… I hope from her we can all at least talk to each other, again.”  


Ikrie sighed, again, drawing their attentions.  


“Well, Anukai still wants to continue on toward that mountain, so…”  


Aloy and Talanah both seemed somewhat surprised, turning to the Banuk redhead instead.  


“You do?” the Carja woman asked.  


“Yes,” Anukai nodded. “I… want to know whoever or whatever did this to me… and I want them or it to know that there will be retribution.”  


Talanah nodded slowly as Anukai noted a small smirk tugging at Aloy’s lips.  


“Sounds like someone I know,” the Carja replied, glancing back at the redhead beside her, who raised her eyebrows in response.  


“Does it, now?”  


Talanah grinned, stepping back toward her and elbowing her in the side playfully as Aloy half-heartedly attempted to bat her away.  


“We should get these inside before everyone starts to get angry,” the older redhead sighed, gesturing to their catches on the ground nearby. “Also, I’m starting to get hungry, so…”  


A minute later, with the spoils of the older women’s hunt in hand, the group all stood on the elevator as Talanah elbowed the button to begin its descent. The return to the artificially-lit hallways of the bunker prompted a sad sigh from Anukai, only for Ikrie to gently rub her hand across her back. When she glanced over at the dark-haired girl, she offered a small smile in return, which Anukai attempted to return.  


The older women set off toward the dining hall to deliver their cargo while the Banuk girls trailed behind, eventually taking a seat at one of the tables in the hall as Aloy and Talanah moved toward the front, where the food was prepared. Anukai stared down at her left arm as she curled the fingers into a fist before relaxing them repeatedly. She began to alternate between closing them all at once and cascading them, one at a time, starting with her index finger, watching as the motions remained smoother than before, while also noting how it required less and less effort, it seemed.  


“So, motion seems to be coming along.”  


Both girls jumped in surprise at the voice across from them, glancing up to find Vansa taking a seat on the opposite bench, a smirk set on her features.  


“How’s it feeling, though?”  


“You mean, like, being able to touch things?” Anukai replied.  


“Well, that, but also I meant… is it difficult, easy, clumsy?”  


“Oh,” the redhead replied, shrugging, “I don’t feel like I need to focus on it quite as much.”  


“That’s good,” Vansa replied. “Have you started to notice it moving kind of automatically? It’s a little early for me to expect that, but hey, you’re progressing fast.”  


“What do you mean automatically?”  


“Like your normal arm,” the healer woman replied, pointing to her right arm. “You don’t think about moving that, right? You just… go to do something and it does it. Have you noticed that with your left arm?”  


“Oh… maybe not fully, yet,” Anukai replied, glancing over toward Ikrie. “Have you?”  


She shrugged.  


“I can’t specifically remember, no.”  


“Well, then you can watch for it,” Vansa said, gesturing to Ikrie. “It’ll be easier to notice from someone else’s perspective, I think.”  


“Or there’s always this.”  


Anukai suddenly jumped as she caught sight of something flying toward her, leaning back to grab it out of the air. As she did, she paused, realizing that she had caught it with her left hand, prompting her eyes to widen slightly. Vansa sighed, glancing to her right as Ara laughed, taking a seat beside her.  


“I overheard what you were saying,” she said, “so I figured I could help.”  


“And somehow I’m not surprised by how you decided to _help_ ,” Vansa replied, rolling her eyes.  


Anukai slowly lowered the mug in her hand to the table, releasing it and carefully examining it to find that there were still slight indentations on the sides of it where her fingers had grasped it a moment ago, prompting a frown from her.  


“It’ll take practice,” Vansa said, drawing her attention, once again. “You’re not used to your own strength, yet.”  


“But it could also be incredibly useful,” Ara added, raising her eyebrows slightly. “You could rip the armor right off a machine like that.”  


Anukai laughed softly as Vansa hit the redhead beside her on the shoulder.  


“Let’s encourage her normally, first,” she sighed. “Gauging pressure under your fingers will be a process, but I would just recommend starting by going slowly, until you can actually feel the thing in your grasp. The sensation probably won’t ever be as full as with your right hand, but it should be enough to at least allow functionality.”  


The Banuk redhead nodded, gently reaching forward and beginning to lay the fingers of her left hand along the edge of the metal mug.  


“Wait a minute,” Vansa said, prompting Anukai to glance up quickly, but the healer woman wasn’t staring at her hand, instead glancing between the two redheads before pointing to Ara, “she’s wearing your clothes?”  


“I asked,” Anukai interjected, smirking.  


“She did, she admits it,” Ara added, nodding.  


Vansa continued to glance between them for a few moments before sighing and shaking her head.  


“It makes sense if I think about it, but… it’s still weird.”  


“Weird?” Ara shot back.  


“I don’t need you two to look more alike,” she sighed, jabbing a finger toward Ara. “Just one of _you_ is enough.”  


Ara scoffed, adopting a hurt expression as Vansa rolled her eyes and began to rise from her seat.  


“Anyway, I’ll catch up with you all later,” she continued, patting Ara on the shoulder as she slid past and made her way toward the door out of the dining hall.  


As soon as she was gone, Ara glanced down at herself before looking back up at Anukai, her gaze finally settling on Ikrie.  


“Do we look too much alike?”  


The dark-haired girl squirmed uncomfortably, shrugging and mumbling something incoherent as she leaned forward onto the table, folding her arms before her. Ara laughed as Anukai frowned slightly, her gaze unfocused as it fell on the table between them. Finally, she blinked the daze away and looked back up at the other redhead across from her.  


“Do you have any stitchers here?”  


“Any what?” she replied.  


“People who make and repair clothes,” Anukai sighed.  


“Oh, well… we all kind of do that ourselves, to some degree,” Ara frowned slightly, “but Rhett is probably the best.”  


“Do—they—have any clothing or materials to make clothing lying around, by chance?”  


Realization seemed to come over Ara as she nodded and glanced around the room.  


“I don’t see him now, but I’m sure he’ll be around when dinner’s ready,” she said, turning back to Anukai. “I can introduce you then.”  


A moment later, Aloy and Talanah appeared at the table, prompting Ara to slide down to the end of her bench so they could sit next to her, although Anukai noted that Talanah judiciously sat between the two redheads.  


“I saw you two carrying in some catches a few minutes ago,” Ara said, leaning forward to glance down at the older women beside her. “Not bad for all the way out here.”  


“We had a bit of help,” Aloy replied, smirking as she tapped at the Focus beside her right ear.  


“What are those things?” the newer redhead replied, glancing around at the other four women. “You’re all wearing them, I see.”  


“They’re ancient technology,” Talanah explained. “The Old Ones used them to do all kinds of things, like access these facilities, get directions, store information, and we’ve found that they do a good job of tracking things.”  


“Like… prey things?”  


“Living and machine,” Aloy nodded.  


“Wait, so those things can be used to see machines and… see them coming, or follow after them?” Ara said, her eyes widening slightly as her tone took a more excited nature.  


“For the most part, yes,” the older redhead nodded.  


“That… would be so useful,” Ara sighed. “Think there’s any around here we can find?”  


“I can only imagine there must be.”  


Ara tapped her fingers on the table for a moment before patting it and beginning to rise from her seat.  


“I’ll meet you all later,” she said and quickly slipped past the older women, calling for a man seated at a table by the door and motioning for him to follow her.  


The four travelling women watched her go with amused expressions before turning back to each other. The rest of the time until dinner was officially served passed with Anukai both showing the older women the progress with her arm, as well as attempting to refine it, further. As the smell of cooked food grew stronger, more of Ara’s group began to file in, filling out the other tables, until a woman at the head of the room clanged some kind of metal utensil against a plate and called for everyone to make a line.  


Talanah offered to go up to get the food, while asking Ikrie if she would go with her. The dark-haired Banuk hesitated for a moment before eventually sighing and rising from her seat, as well. As they left, Aloy glanced after them for a moment before turning back to Anukai.  


“You didn’t threaten her into talking to us, did you?”  


“What?” Anukai scoffed. “Of course not.”  


“I wasn’t trying to accuse you,” Aloy replied, holding her hands up defensively. “She just… has seemed like a very different person after you chased after her and brought her back.”  


“We had a… discussion.”  


Aloy raised her eyebrows slightly as Anukai sighed, releasing the mug from the grasp of her left hand and instead sliding it across the table to her right, spinning it slowly with one finger inside the opening at its top.  


“I want to keep going to the mountain,” the younger redhead sighed, “and she wanted to go back.”  


“So you compromised by going to the mountain?”  


“How could you compromise in that situation?” Anukai shot back. “There’s no middle ground between there and going back.”  


“Well… there is.”  


The younger redhead paused, glancing up at Aloy curiously.  


“Here.”  


Anukai sighed, shrugging.  


“I suppose…”  


“I’m not saying it’s what you would do, but it is the in between option.”  


“I don’t know if I could take being around Ara all the time,” Anukai mumbled.  


“That’s… fair.”  


The younger redhead smirked, glancing up as Talanah and Ikrie suddenly returned, sliding plates before the redheads. Dinner passed with much more casual conversation between all of them, the tension from earlier mostly gone, although Ikrie still seemed to be lacking much of her energy, prompting Anukai to keep glancing toward her frequently, sliding closer so their sides touched, even as she held back from allowing herself to wrap her arm around her, as it would have been difficult to eat, but also as Ikrie was seated to her left.  


Just as they were all finishing, Ara suddenly appeared in the dining hall with the man from earlier, rubbing her eyes tiredly. The man said something to her before patting her on the shoulder and making his way toward the food line. The redhead’s arms fell to her sides, once again, as she glanced toward the other redheads before quickly looking around the room, once again. Finally, she made her way toward a table closer to the head of the room, and Anukai turned her attention back to her food. Just as she was attempting to focus on whatever Aloy had been saying, once again, she caught sight of Ara approaching with yet another man in tow and she glanced back toward her.  


“Anukai, Rhett,” she said, gesturing to the man behind her, who still seemed somewhat confused, but perhaps even more so when he saw the Banuk redhead. “Rhett, Anukai.”  


“Oh… she’s… you’re the… other one,” he said slowly, gesturing to Anukai.  


“You mean the new redhead? Yeah,” Ara interrupted. “Rhett is our resident expert at all things clothing related. Anukai, here, wanted to talk to you.”  


With that, Ara quickly slipped away toward the food line, leaving the man standing awkwardly beside the group of women.  


“So… uh… Anukai?” he asked tentatively and she nodded. “What, uh, what can I be of assistance with?”  


The man was not exactly what Anukai had expected for someone whose specialty was clothing, supposedly, as he was rather tall and muscular, with a shaved head and a somewhat large beard. His clothing didn’t look much different than any of the others’, but she did note that it appeared to have some more colorful accents than the rest, perhaps.  


“I… I wanted some help with… well, with making some new clothing,” the Banuk redhead said. “Mine was… well, it’s gone, now.”  


He nodded, letting out a soft “oh”.  


“Well, I can certainly help with that,” he said. “Let me finish eating and then we can talk some more.”  


Anukai nodded in response before Rhett excused himself and returned to his table.  


“Do you know how to make clothing, Anukai?” Aloy asked, raising her eyebrows.  


“Basic things,” she shrugged. “That’s why I need help.”  


The older redhead still seemed impressed as she finished off the last of the food on her plate. A few minutes later, Anukai had finished, as well, and spotted Rhett rising from his seat at the table he had returned to earlier. As the redhead began to excuse herself, Ikrie placed a hand on her arm, stopping her.  


“Do you need me to come with you?”  


“If you want, but… I’m sure I can manage to stay safe, anyway,” Anukai said, grinning.  


Ikrie looked conflicted, but nodded, releasing her arm, her expression prompting the redhead to frown.  


“I’m not saying you can’t come, you know…”  


“I know, but…”  


“Actually, you know what? I might need help.”  


Ikrie sighed, shaking her head, but Anukai detected a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips. Finally, the dark-haired girl began to rise from her seat, as well, gathering her plate and following Anukai toward the front of the room to drop them off. As they placed theirs with the pile of the other dirty plates, they found Rhett waiting for them by the far wall. He nodded as they caught his eye and he led the way out of the dining hall.  


“So, I’m assuming that you can wear basically the same fit as Ara, then?” he asked as soon as they were in the hallway outside and beginning to head in the general direction toward the rooms where they had been staying.  


“Well, this was hers, so…”  


Rhett laughed, nodding.  


“Figured.”  


A few moments later, he led them through a door down one of the side hallways, the girls glancing around at the space as soon as they entered. By comparison to Ara’s room, Rhett’s looked much more lived in, with personal items and numerous scraps of leather and other clothing materials strewn about it, while Anukai also noted the rattler-like weapon that the group that had brought them back from their camp in the ruins of Las Vegas had carried leaning up against the wall by his bedroll.  


“So, as you can see, I have some options,” he said, gesturing about the room. “Were you just looking for something similar, but that you could call your own?”  


“Not quite,” Anukai replied.  


She laid out her vague idea to Rhett, who simply nodded, folding his arms over his chest before glancing around the room.  


“Well, the only thing I have in blue is… this,” he said, lifting a piece of fabric from where it hung off a section of the wall that jutted out slightly from the rest, forming a small shelf.  


“That… looks like it could work…”  


After an attempt to help with sewing part of a seam along the bottom edge of the fabric to form the hem of the tunic, it quickly became apparent that Anukai did not quite have enough dexterity with her left hand to accurately help with such fine tasks, prompting her to throw up her arms in aggravation as Rhett took over. Ikrie offered an apologetic smile to Anukai as she rubbed her back gently.  


“I tried…”  


“That you did.”  


After muttering that he had to cut some of the fabric due to the botched job, leading Anukai to hang her head, her shoulders deflating, Rhett quickly set to work finishing off the rest of the basic shape. With that, he turned to her, gesturing to the mostly completed garment on the floor. The redhead nodded, and set about explaining some of the colors she wanted to add supplement it, and Rhett was able to take her vague gesturing and quickly turn it into an actually useable design.  


The remainder of the work to complete the clothing passed relatively quickly, although while Anukai hovered over and around Rhett while he worked, Ikrie had taken a seat against the wall by the door. When the redhead glanced back, she found that the other girl’s eyes were closed and her head leaned back against the wall, prompting her to smirk.  


“Is it… done?”  


“Well, give it a try,” Rhett said, shrugging.  


“I… uh…”  


“I’ll give you privacy,” he laughed, rising to his feet and sighing. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”  


With that, he slipped out of the room, the sound of the door sliding open still apparently not enough to wake Ikrie. With a smirk, Anukai quickly shed the borrowed clothing from Ara, pulling on the new outfit as quickly and safely as she could. The skirt section fit well enough immediately, but as soon as she pulled the tunic portion on, tugging at the bottom hem, she frowned, letting out a sigh. She couldn’t say that Rhett had done it on purpose, but the hem came to a stop about halfway down her stomach, leaving a noticeable gap between it and the top of the skirt.  


“Of course…” she muttered, rubbing at her eyes tiredly with her right hand.  


“I think I like it.”  


Anukai jumped, letting out a yelp of surprise as her gaze quickly fell on Ikrie beside the door, whose eyes were now open and roving over the redhead as a grin tugged at her lips.  


“Do you, now?”  


Ikrie paused for a moment, only for her grin to grow broader as she nodded insistently. Anukai shook her head, staring down at the floor before her feet as she heard the other girl get to her feet. A moment later, the redhead felt Ikrie’s fingers underneath her chin, lifting it to meet her gaze, again.  


“Did you think I would say no?” she asked, still grinning broadly.  


“No, but that’s the problem.”  


“I can’t tell you it looks hideous or that I’m not enjoying it,” the dark-haired girl teased. “It’s hot in the desert and… uh…”  


Anukai rolled her eyes.  


“Yeah, sure.”  


Ikrie laughed, but placed a quick kiss on the redhead, pulling away before she had a chance to respond.  


“I do think the overall design you asked for is there, and… it looks good, overall.”  


Just then, the door to the room slid open and Rhett tentatively leaned into the room. When he noted Anukai fully dressed, he stepped inside, only to frown when he noted the outfit, as well.  


“I guess I cut more off than I thought…” he muttered.  


“Just a bit,” Anukai sighed.  


“I can… try to patch it.”  


“I think it looks good,” Ikrie interjected, again.  


Rhett glanced at the gap in the outfit before looking back up at Anukai’s face, again.  


“Well?”  


The redhead glanced over at Ikrie, prompting the dark-haired girl to raise her eyebrows in anticipation. Finally, she sighed, turning back to Rhett.  


“I think I’ll leave it… for now.”  


The bald man shrugged in response.  


“Well, then I’d say it’s done. Anything feel like it’s falling apart?”  


Anukai shook her head.  


“Well, if it does, come find me. Keep your old tunic, just in case, perhaps.”  


With that, Anukai collected the old clothing, sighing as she glanced down at the new outfit, once again. Other than the gap that exposed her midriff, the rest of the top was a deep blue color, with a section around the neck that was a white fabric accented with streaks of yellow and a lighter blue that stretched to the edge of the main, darker fabric, each of them held in place with bright yellow stitches. The skirt portion was made of a gray fabric with fur sewn onto the portion around her waist, providing a softer contact where it was tied in place. The fabric portion was then accented with strips of the blue fabric that Rhett had been forced to cut from the top portion down the sides.  


All of it was still rather simple, although as far as the basis for new clothing went, it was a decent start.  


“Thank you, Rhett,” Anukai said, glancing over at him.  


“There’s still room for you to change things a bit,” he said. “I noticed that the other two in your group have added some armor plating from machines, so if you want to add some more protection, that may not be a bad idea.”  


Anukai nodded slowly, chewing the inside of her cheek for a moment before clearing her throat.  


“Yeah, good to know.”  


With that, they finally bid Rhett goodbye and moved to leave his room. As soon as they did, they found another figure waiting in the hallway outside, leaning against the far wall. Anukai jumped at first, but her surprise quickly turned to confusion as Ara straightened up.  


“I see Rhett’s fine work continues,” she commented, eying Anukai up and down.  


Anukai simply responded with an “mhm” as she nodded, noting that the other redhead seemed to be holding something behind her back, still, prompting the hair on the back of her own neck to stand on end. Ara seemed to notice her gaze and quickly cleared her throat.  


“D-don’t worry, it’s not… dangerous,” she stammered. “I… I wanted to give you something.”  


Anukai’s eyebrows raised as she glanced toward Ikrie to find her looking similarly confused.  


“Oh?”  


“Yeah, I… I’m sorry for making things weird earlier by asking about us looking the same,” she sighed. “I also… have seen how you look at your arm… since… you know…”  


Anukai’s throat tightened as she self-consciously rotated her left shoulder.  


“Like I’ve said before, we learned how to do that in Reva, so you won’t necessarily stand out there, but… I… thought this… thought you might like it, otherwise.”  


Ara removed her hand from behind her back, holding something out toward her. Anukai glanced down at it curiously, noting that whatever it was appeared to be made of leather, but it didn’t exactly look like a tunic. She tentatively took it from her, quickly realizing that it was actually two things, as one nearly slid to the floor.  


She instinctively reached out, catching it with her left hand, and prompting a somewhat surprised expression from the Banuk redhead as Ara laughed.  


“Still working those reflexes, I see.”  


Anukai nodded, lifting the item up beside the other to try to see exactly what they were. A moment later, she realized that they appeared to be a pair of gloves. They were made of a simple, brown leather, but the portion at the wrist appeared to extend a good several inches, Anukai noting that they would likely stretch to a good ways up her forearm.  


“They’re made for hunting,” Ara explained. “For protection against machines and any—things—from inside them, as well as from all the sand out there.”  


“These are… yours, then,” Anukai said slowly.  


“They were.”  


“Were?”  


“Well, now they’re yours.”  


The Banuk redhead shot her a look as Ara laughed.  


“You’ve seen, I’ve got Rhett here, I can always find a way to get other ones, if I need them,” the other redhead shrugged. “Take them as an… ‘I’m sorry’ gift, I suppose.”  


Anukai nodded slowly in response.  


“Or maybe also a bit of an ‘I hope you feel better’ gift, too.”  


The Banuk redhead laughed, shaking her head as she folded the gloves, holding them in her right hand as she glanced back up at Ara.  


“Thank you… in both circumstances.”  


Ara laughed softly, but nodded in response, brushing back a piece of hair that had broken free of the bun she had tied the rest into, although it quickly fell toward her face, once again.  


“It’ll keep the sand off your arm, too,” she continued. “Supposedly it should be pretty good at keeping stuff like that or water out, but… you never know.”  


“I get it, it’s okay,” Anukai laughed. “Thank you, Ara.”  


The other redhead paused for a moment before grinning, offering a nod and a grin, in return.  


“Sure thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick edit: the new outfit design at the end of the chapter was inspired by both fanart made by hadesherself on Reddit, as well as an edit to said art to turn the image of Aloy into Anukai by imagine0314 as she said that it reminded her of Anukai, already.
> 
> You can view a side-by-side of the original and the edit [here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ExcKEtNSiTC8vCyUhAXGc5nACGFjpMQk/view); the original by hadesherself is on the left and imagine0314's edit is on the right.
> 
> Both were so good I just had to use the image somehow, so boom.


	5. All Systems Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy monday, y'all.
> 
> So I've done a lot of writing this past week or so. I'm insane, I know.
> 
> If you want to check out a bunch of little one-shots and side stories for this series, as well as _Living Systems_ , check out my collection in [The NoGho DLC Files](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668388). They're all intended to be little "extras" that aren't integral to understanding the plot of this main series, but they can be fun side-stories and perhaps flesh out a few things with characters that there's not a lot of time to explore, a natural way to do so in this story.
> 
> There's both some more angst and some light-hearted stuff. Check it out, whatever your speed is.
> 
> Also, imagine0314 has written a few one-shots/drabbles based on this series that are quite excellent. Check them out in [Flame and Snow](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23644678/chapters/56750707). I highly recommend and you won't regret it.
> 
> Anyhow, 13,000 words this week.
> 
> Enjoy!

The next morning, the new outfit garnered raised eyebrows from Aloy, while Talanah grinned and offered rather vocal encouragement. Anukai’s face had immediately turned red as the older women broke into a much more light-hearted argument, spurred by Aloy’s comment that “of course” Talanah would be the one to approve. Throughout their morning meal, and while the older women continued their banter, referring to events the Banuk girls had no chance of knowing about, Anukai continued to test the ability to use her left arm.  


By the end of it, she found that she was able to grasp pieces of food from her plate and actually place them in her mouth, albeit more from simply holding them in place and sort of dropping them. One time, she accidentally touched part of the metal fingers with her cheek as she was trying and a strong shiver ran through her, prompting the other three to look over at her, the older women stopping their conversation.  


“Everything okay?”  


Anukai glanced around at them before muttering something that was intended to be akin to “I’m fine”, unable to meet any of their gazes. The rest of the meal continued as it had before, although Aloy and Talanah had seemingly exhausted their faux-argument, the redhead instead turning to Anukai to ask about her clothing, specifically.  


“Is there a significance to it?”  


“To what?”  


“The colors, the design, anything,” she shrugged.  


“Oh… I mean… they’re all very Banuk colors,” Anukai replied.  


“But not in a very Banuk design, overall?”  


“That was an accident,” the younger redhead laughed dryly.  


“A happy accident…”  


They all turned to glance at Ikrie, who had suddenly frozen, her eyes widening. Evidently, that was not meant to be a thought heard aloud. A moment later, Talanah burst out laughing, leaning forward and burying her head in her arms against the table as Ikrie’s face began to turn a scarlet that was almost deeper than either of the redhead’s faces. Anukai found herself smirking as she remained silent, eating the last of the food on her plate before rising from the table, offering to take Ikrie’s plate, as well.  


As the Banuk redhead took the empty plates to the front of the hall, a familiar face materialized out of the crowd just leaving the serving area. Vansa caught her eye a moment later before raising her eyebrows, as well, glancing the redhead over.  


“New style,” she commented, smirking. “Starting to feel back to normal?”  


“A little more,” Anukai shrugged, leaving the empty plates before moving out of the way of the others, Vansa following her.  


“Still doing well with no bad pain?”  


Anukai nodded.  


“Just… a little uncomfortable at times, still.”  


“That’ll happen,” the healer woman sighed. “It’ll become less frequent, but I don’t know if it will entirely go away, unfortunately. It all depends on the person. Some say that after the first bit of time, it gets better and they never think about it again, but others… well, it can rear its head every now and then.”  


The redhead frowned as she found her right hand self-consciously coming to rest on her left forearm.  


“Sorry, I didn’t mean to discourage you,” Vansa said quickly, “just… didn’t want to lie to you.”  


Anukai nodded, forcing a thin smile.  


“I get it.”  


The healer woman sighed, shifting the plate in her hand slightly.  


“Can you show me a bit of how it’s coming along?”  


Anukai showed her how she was able to bend her elbow and move her fingers more independently, rather than stiffly as an entire group. Vansa also noted that she seemed to be able to move the wrist, having twisted it unintentionally while showing off the hand.  


“Look at that, just like I told you,” the healer woman said, grinning, “you’re starting to gain unconscious motion. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but the less you think about it, the better it’ll get.”  


“O-okay…”  


“Obviously, make an effort to use your left arm as much as you can,” she added quickly, “but… when using it, try to see how little specific thought you need to get it to do what you want.”  


Anukai nodded slowly, prompting Vansa to laugh.  


“You’ve got this,” the healer woman replied. “As always, come find me if something goes wrong.”  


With that, they went their separate ways, Anukai finally returning to the other three at the table where she had left them. As soon as she approached, Ikrie slid to her right, prompting the redhead to fall into her former seat, but notably placing the dark-haired huntress at her right side.  


“So,” Aloy said, folding her arms on the table before her as she turned her attention to Anukai, “we’ve been asking around a bit about this Reva that Ara told us about.”  


“We did, too,” the Banuk redhead replied, nodding.  


As she spoke, she carefully slid her right hand behind Ikrie’s lower back, massaging it gently before letting her hand come to rest on the other girl’s opposite side, prompting her to slide closer, once again.  


“Oh? What did you find out?”  


“Just that it’s supposedly some ancient city that people have rebuilt since,” Anukai shrugged. “They know more about machines than any tribe I’ve ever heard of, and supposedly a group with ties to somewhere Ara called the Mountain of Ashen Rain runs it.”  


Aloy nodded, an impressed expression coming over her features.  


“Sounds like you learned about as much as us, already.”  


“We went right to Ara,” Anukai shrugged, smirking.  


“Right to the source,” the older redhead replied, laughing. “Well, the only other information we’ve really picked up on is that whoever that group is you mentioned is both perhaps our link to the signal that attacked GAIA and here… but also, for obvious reasons, one we should be wary of.”  


The group fell silent as each of the women wore tight-lipped, stony expressions. After several moments of still, tense silence, Aloy broke it by sighing heavily.  


“Which means that we won’t try to go there unless you’re feeling completely prepared,” she began, but paused, meeting Anukai’s gaze as she swallowed heavily. “That is… if you were still planning to go.”  


The Banuk redhead felt Ikrie tense beneath her grip beside her, but she forced herself to take a deep breath in through her nose, nodding.  


“I am.”  


Once again, Anukai felt the dark-haired girl beside her seemingly deflate slightly, and she squeezed at her side with her right hand, but all it seemed to do was prompt Ikrie to lean more of her weight into the redhead. Aloy nodded slowly, an unreadable expression creasing her face as she and Talanah exchanged glances.  


Shortly after, the group began to rise from their table, but as the older women turned to leave, Ikrie tugged on Anukai’s arm, holding her in place as the redhead turned back to her.  


“I… you know I’m still coming with you, right?” the dark-haired girl said softly.  


“I know.”  


Ikrie opened her mouth, as if to say more, but no words seemed to come as she let out a heavy sigh, instead, her shoulders sagging slightly. Anukai felt a tight feeling appear in her chest as she stepped closer to her, gently placing her right hand alongside the other girl’s cheek. Their eyes met for a long moment or two before the redhead gently ran her thumb across the field of freckles scattered across Ikrie’s cheekbone, a small smile tugging at her lips. Just as the dark-haired girl returned it, Anukai leaned in, placing a quick kiss on her, pulling back a moment later and running her thumb over the same place, once again.  


A moment later, they had turned to follow the older women out of the dining hall, Ikrie remaining as close to Anukai as she could through the crowd. When they stepped into the hallway outside, they found Aloy and Talanah talking with Ara, who glanced back at the Banuk girls as they approached.  


“So, I hear you’re going to Reva soon?” she said, shaking some hair that had broken loose of the bun at the back of her head out of her face as she smirked.  


“That’s the plan,” Anukai replied, nodding.  


Ara nodded, glancing down at the Banuk redhead’s left arm before gesturing toward it.  


“How’s it going? Used your bow, yet?”  


Anukai sighed, shaking her head.  


“Not yet.”  


Ara shrugged.  


“Seems like you’ll get there soon enough.”  


The Banuk redhead lifted her left arm, flexing her fingers and bending her elbow much more effortlessly before, although the motion of the wrist still required more effort. With a smirk, she noted Ara’s impressed expression.  


“What’s it been… three days?”  


Anukai shrugged, letting her arm fall by her side, again.  


“Something like that.”  


Ara laughed, shaking her head.  


“Well, good. You’ll want your bow handy where you’re going… or a knife, perhaps.”  


Anukai caught the apprehensive expression from Talanah behind Ara’s back, while Aloy’s was much more unreadable. Both of them were gone by the time the new redhead turned back to them.  


“I haven’t eaten yet, so I’ll catch up with all of you later, okay?” she said. “If you need me, for whatever reason, ask around. Most people know where to find me.”  


As Ara slipped into the dining hall, the brief burst of voices and sound from inside spilling into the hallway until the door slid closed, the travelling women all turned to each other, each of them wearing tense, tight-lipped expressions, once again.  


“Anyone else wondering if Reva is a bad idea?” Talanah muttered.  


Aloy sighed heavily, rubbing her eyes tiredly.  


“Whatever attacked here attacked GAIA,” she said softly. “Do you really want that to just keep happening? What happens if we lose GAIA again?”  


The older women exchanged glances as Anukai felt Ikrie shift uncomfortably beside her.  


“Aloy, I understand—”  


“Then you know we have to go,” she interrupted. “We talked about this…”  


“I know, I know,” the Carja woman sighed. “I just…”  


“I’ll be better soon,” Anukai cut in, drawing the older women’s attentions. “I won’t be a liability.”  


“No, Anukai, you’re not,” Talanah said quickly, a concerned expression creasing her features. “I wasn’t saying any of that because of you.”  


“I’ve thought it, too,” the Banuk redhead said, her jaw clenching, once again, “so I get it.”  


Talanah’s mouth hung open for a moment before she sighed, her shoulders sagging as she shook her head. Anukai took a deep breath, glancing down at her left hand before looking back up at the others, once again.  


“Anyone want to go for a little shooting practice?”  


Despite the other’s urging for her to take her progress slowly, Aloy eventually caved and took her up on the offer, Talanah shooting her a dirty look as she did. As they returned to their rooms to grab their equipment, Anukai hesitated before fully grasping her bow, a shiver running down her spine as she gripped the metal-reinforced wood. Carefully, she held the bow in her right hand, but reached toward it with her left. As her metal fingers wrapped around it, she focused on feeling the same surface with them, and she found herself able to discern the balance between the warm, smooth nature of the wood, as well as the slightly colder, slicker portion of the metal.  


As she glanced up from the weapon, she found Ikrie standing across from her, the bow she had given her back in Meridian held across her torso as she watched Anukai with an expression somewhat like concern.  


“You still sure?” she asked softly.  


“Yeah,” Anukai nodded, sighing before taking the weapon back in her right hand and slipping it over her shoulders, as well. “Just… thinking about the last time I held this.”  


A frown tugged at Ikrie’s lips as Anukai grinned, stepping closer and placing a hand on her shoulder.  


“But I’m here now, right?”  


Ikrie offered a small smile in return, but it still seemed laced with concern and a hint of sadness.  


“It’s all a part of getting better.”  


“Keeping a part of you,” Ikrie replied softly.  


Anukai paused for a moment before nodding, squeezing the dark-haired girl’s shoulder gently before letting her arm fall away, turning back to her equipment to grab her quiver of arrows before pausing, glancing down at the options inside it.  


“Probably don’t want to waste any of the good ones… just in case.”  


With that, she carefully extracted anything other than the most basic of hunter’s arrows, leaving the rest in a neat pile against the wall and strapping the quiver to her belt. With a sigh, she straightened up and turned back to Ikrie, nodding toward the door.  


“Shall we?”  


As they exited their room, they found Aloy and Talanah waiting, both leaning against the far wall with the Carja woman turned toward the redhead, a smirk set in her features as she appeared to be attempting to elbow her in the ribs playfully. At the sound of the door opening, Aloy glanced toward them, but Talanah took the opportunity to successfully land a blow against her, prompting the older redhead to let out a yelp of surprise and slide away from her, narrowing her eyes at the Carja woman, who had begun to laugh loudly.  


Anukai and Ikrie remained silent as they glanced between the older women, Talanah finally turning back to them as she sighed, calming down slowly.  


“Ready, girls?”  


A minute or so later, they were standing on the ascending elevator, the sunlight spilling through the opening overhead causing them all to squint severely until their eyes had adjusted, once again. As soon as they stepped into the remainder of the ruined building, Anukai also noted the heat, once again, but found that she actually felt as if it weren’t as bad as the day before, and she sighed heavily, not wanting to let herself admit that the outfit accident could serve a practical purpose.  


“So, you tried holding your bow at all, yet?” Aloy asked, slinging hers from over shoulders and pulling on the bowstring slightly.  


“Barely,” Anukai shrugged, removing hers, as well, before tentatively taking it in her left hand.  


“Do you maybe want to use this one?” Ikrie offered, holding hers out. “Just in case…”  


The Banuk redhead frowned slightly, but Talanah quickly stepped in to agree.  


“You don’t want to damage your good one, you know,” she added.  


Anukai stared mournfully at her bow for a moment before sighing and swapping it with Ikrie, taking her old bow from her. Although she could instantly feel the difference in craftsmanship, the weapon being something that she had purchased from a merchant years ago and made subsequent repairs and upgrades to herself, there was something familiar in its grip as her metal fingers closed around it. As before, she found herself easily able to focus on the sensation, and she didn’t hear any sounds of cracking and splintering wood as she held it tighter.  


“Let’s start simple,” Aloy said, leading the way out of the initial derelict building and toward the half-buried ones in the distance.  


Confusion settled over Anukai, but she still followed after them, eventually finding why Aloy had set off toward them as they rounded the side of the ruin that housed the Striders. The sand had blown loosely against the side, providing a soft, but broad target to aim at. The older redhead drew an arrow from her quiver before using its tip to draw a target shape in the sand, complete with concentric rings getting smaller the closer they got to the center.  


Anukai went first, drawing an arrow and tentatively nocking it to her bow, focusing on the feeling of it resting against the top of her left index finger before drawing the string backward. The motion from her right hand felt as natural as ever, however she noted that her aim seemed to waver slightly as her left hand seemed to constantly adjust. With a deep breath, it suddenly held still, and the tip of her arrowhead focused on the smallest circle in the target.  


A moment later, she released it, tracking the arrow as it sailed toward the target, its head burying in the sand in the circle just below the smallest. Anukai sighed, even as the others cheered, Aloy patting her on the back.  


“Nice shot, kid.”  


“Yeah…”  


“First one of the day and you nearly hit the center, that’s good for anyone,” Aloy said, raising her eyebrows slightly. “Don’t be so hard on yourself so soon.”  


Anukai nodded, lowering her bow and jogging toward the target to pull the arrow free, using its tip to redraw the portions that had become obscured by her attempt. As soon as she was out of the way, Aloy took her turn, drawing her bow, pausing for a moment, and loosing the arrow toward the target. A moment later, the arrowhead planted itself firmly in the sand in the same circle as Anukai’s, but to the right of the center, rather than below.  


The pattern continued with Talanah, except as soon as she was about to loose her arrow, Aloy suddenly slid in behind her and squeezed her sides, just above her hips, prompting the Carja to jump and let out a yelp in surprise, her arrow sailing a good yard or so wide of the target.  


“You… that’s not fair!” Talanah whined.  


“Oh dear, you were quite a bit off,” Aloy said, her tone one of faux-concern. “Is everything okay?”  


Talanah shot her a hard glare before attempting to retaliate with a similar move, but Aloy was easily able to skirt her reaching hands, laughing as the Carja circled back for another attempt. Finally, when Aloy had managed to dodge or block every attempt at retaliation, Talanah grumbled something unintelligible and stormed off to retrieve her arrow. When it was finally Ikrie’s turn, she held the bow Anukai had traded her a moment ago, swallowing nervously.  


“Bows aren’t typically your thing, are they?” Aloy asked.  


“No,” Ikrie shook her head. “I mean… I can use one, but…”  


“Your sling is your preference.”  


The dark-haired girl nodded.  


“Come on,” Anukai said, stepping to her and wrapping her right arm behind her back, squeezing her opposite shoulder gently. “You’ve got this.”  


Ikrie glanced toward her, hesitating for a moment before grinning and nodding, prompting Anukai to pat her on the back and step away, allowing her room to nock an arrow and draw the bow. The Banuk redhead noted how Ikrie’s fingers seemed to shake on both the bow and the arrow and she frowned slightly. A moment later, however, she loosed the arrow, and she followed its ark until it landed within the target, albeit one or two circles lower than Anukai’s and Aloy’s.  


Still, the dark-haired huntress laughed, whirling toward Anukai with a broad smile on her face as she pointed to the target. The redhead laughed, nodding as Ikrie cheered and jogged to retrieve her arrow. As Anukai glanced toward the older women, she found them glancing between the girls with grins on their faces.  


“You’ve really got an effect on her, Anukai,” Aloy said softly.  


The Banuk redhead’s face began to grow hot as she swallowed nervously, glancing back toward Ikrie as she redrew the target with her arrowhead before returning to the group. The shooting continued for some time, with Aloy striking the first dead-center hit on her third attempt, which only prompted Anukai to try harder. Finally, on her fifth shot of the day, her arrowhead landed just barely on the outside of the centermost circle.  


As she did, she froze for a split second, before laughter forced its way out of her. She swapped the bow to her right hand as she turned back to the others to find them looking to her with a mixture of impressed and elated expressions. Talanah let out a loud, whooping cheer as Aloy recoiled from her, pressing one hand toward the ear closest to the Carja woman, while Ikrie laughed, smiling broadly.  


Anukai laughed again, squeezing her left hand into a fist and throwing it into the air before jogging to retrieve her arrow. As she did, a chime suddenly sounded in her ear, prompting her to pause.  


“Good job, Anukai,” the soft voice of GAIA said, her voice somewhat scratchy and distorted, but still discernable.  


“You’ve been watching?” she replied, pulling the arrow from the sand.  


“I have been monitoring your progress, in general, so in a sense… yes.”  


“A-all the time?” she whispered nervously, turning back toward the others.  


“Once again, I do not retain conversations that are not relevant, do not involve me, or are generally related to topics that I should not need access to,” GAIA replied. “Your personal matters are yours, alone.”  


Anukai let out a sigh, feeling a slight sense of relief settle over her.  


“Thank you.”  


The remainder of the day passed rather quickly, with the competition between the small group continuing to the point where Talanah had begun actually keeping score, which only seemed to spark something in Ikrie, who grew both increasingly frustrated with her score, but simultaneously more determined to best the others. Finally, when the sun had noticeably sunk toward the horizon, they decided they had to call the competition, with the final tally offering a very slight victory to Aloy, followed soon after by Anukai, then Talanah, and finally Ikrie.  


With a defeated sigh, Ikrie turned to the Banuk redhead, frowning, before her face quickly contorted in concern.  


“What?”  


“You’re very red,” the dark-haired girl muttered, gingerly reaching toward Anukai’s face, prompting her to recoil at the stinging sensation from her touch.  


“Oh, both of you are,” Talanah commented, turning toward Aloy and frowning.  


“I’m sorry, Anukai,” Aloy sighed, drawing the Banuk redhead’s attention. “We’re cursed with genetics that hate the sun.”  


“Well, they can’t totally hate it…” Talanah quipped, smirking.  


“Isn’t that blasphemy?” the older redhead shot back.  


“All Carja have a connection to the sun,” she replied, smirking.  


“Sure you do.”  


As they made their trek back to the elevator, Anukai slowly became more aware of the stiff, painful sensation across her face and on her shoulders, prompting her to squirm uncomfortably at the sensation. When they finally reached the main entrance of the bunker once again, the doors opened to reveal Ara speaking to a small gathering of her group, all of them glancing toward the travelling women before the new redhead smirked and finished whatever she had been saying before dismissing the others.  


“I was beginning to wonder where you all had gone,” she commented as they approached. “Spent a little time in the sun, I see.”  


Anukai and Aloy remained silent as they refused to meet her gaze, sulking slightly as their companions laughed and replied for them.  


“We were testing Anukai’s ability to shoot, again,” Talanah supplied, tugging at the bowstring across her chest for emphasis.  


“Oh?” Ara replied, eyebrows raising. “How did that go?”  


“She came in second place,” Ikrie said, grinning as she nudged Anukai’s right arm, prompting the redhead to wince as the uncomfortable feeling from the sunburn flared.  


The newer redhead looked impressed as she glanced at the Banuk redhead, nodding.  


“You didn’t go easy on her just because, did you?”  


“I didn’t…” Talanah shrugged, prompting Aloy to roll her eyes.  


“Well, then it seems like some real progress is being made,” Ara replied. “You try those gloves, too?”  


Anukai frowned slightly as she shook her head.  


“Forgot, but… guess I wanted to make sure everything worked, first.”  


“Makes sense,” Ara nodded, shrugging as a smirk tugged at her lips. “Probably would have helped with the sun at least a little bit.”  


Anukai shot her a hard look as the other redhead laughed.  


“I have something for it, if you don’t.”  


“I do,” Aloy supplied. “I’ve lived in a hot desert for long enough to come prepared.”  


With that, another member of Ara’s group approached her and asked for her help, so she quickly excused herself and followed after the bearded man, leaving the travelling women to return to their rooms, where Aloy said she would bring the same salve she had given Anukai before in just a minute, once she had used it, herself.  


As Anukai began to remove her equipment, Ikrie swapped the nicer bow she had been using for the older one, once again, placing it with her equipment on the other side of the room. With a sigh, the redhead reached up to rub at her eyes tiredly, only to wince at the tingling, burning sensation where her fingers brushed against her cheekbones.  


“This looks worse than before,” Ikrie said, wincing, as well as Anukai turned back to her.  


“Thanks.”  


“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—” the dark haired girl replied quickly before pausing, letting out a heavy sigh. “I’m just concerned.”  


“I know, I know…”  


The wait for Aloy to bring the salve felt like an eternity as Anukai took a seat on her bedroll, trying to move as little as possible. Finally, though, a knock came against their door and Ikrie quickly leapt up to answer it. As it slid open, it revealed Aloy holding the small jar she had offered when they set up camp outside Sunfall, the older redhead’s exposed and reddened skin seeming to show a slight sheen under the light from overhead.  


She gave quick instructions to Ikrie, as well, before handing the salve over and retreating to her own room, the dark-haired girl returning to Anukai and kneeling before her.  


“I can do it,” Anukai said, reaching for the jar, but Ikrie shook her head.  


“So can I.”  


The redhead sighed as Ikrie grinned, removing the top from the jar and removing some fo the salve from inside. As she began to spread it across Anukai’s forehead, the redhead shivered at how cool it felt by comparison. After a minute or so, Ikrie had spread the salve over her forehead, nose, and cheeks, and had moved on to her arms and shoulders. She ended up spreading it fully from Anukai’s right shoulder to the back of her hand, before also applying it to her left shoulder, up until the start of the metal portion.  


“There isn’t even that much there, and it still got that badly burned?” Anukai sighed, prompting a saddened look from Ikrie. “I was mainly joking, you know.”  


The dark-haired girl sighed, closing the top of the jar, again.  


“I hoped so, but…”  


They fell silent again as Ikrie began to rub at the places where she had applied the salve, Anukai finding herself relaxing at the sensation, even if her skin still prickled uncomfortably from the contact, even beneath the salve. A few moments later, Ikrie glanced behind her before rubbing some of the salve that remained on her hands across the back of her neck, as well.  


“You’d think you were trying…” she muttered.  


“Just thought I needed a little more red, you know?”  


They both laughed as Ikrie moved before her, gently rubbing the salve in more on her face as Anukai closed her eyes. After a minute or two, Ikrie seemed satisfied and pulled her hand away, sighing. When the redhead opened her eyes, she glanced down at her right arm, noting that it also now bore the slight sheen to it that she seen on Aloy minutes ago.  


“So there’s… one more spot.”  


Anukai raised her eyebrows before glancing down and noting the reddened shade that had spread across the exposed portion of her abdomen. With a sigh, she hung her head, closing her eyes.  


“Maybe good to note that you’ll want to ask Rhett for something to make a wrap to go underneath,” Ikrie laughed softly.  


“Yeah… that would make sense.”  


They both remained silent for a moment or two before the dark-haired girl cleared her throat softly.  


“So… uh… you want to get it, or…?”  


“You’ve done the rest,” Anukai shrugged.  


Ikrie paused for a moment before nodding and reaching for the jar, again. The redhead noted with a smirk that the other girl’s hands seemed to shake slightly as she attempted to open it, but she eventually managed to retrieve more salve from inside. With a sigh, Anukai shifted her position so that she was kneeling, as well, straightening her posture as best she could. Ikrie paused for a moment before starting on her back, the cool feeling of the salve making the redhead shiver even more.  


It also may have been partially not related to the salve, but she remained silent.  


As Ikrie finally made her way around the entire strip of sunburnt skin on Anukai’s midriff, the redhead noted that her motions seemed not quite as strong as they had on her arm. A few moments later, she finally seemed satisfied that it was fully applied and returned to sitting before her, sighing.  


“All set,” she said, rubbing her hands together slightly as some of the salve seemed to remain on them.  


Anukai nodded, sighing as she leaned back on her heels, her posture slouching somewhat as she did.  


“How come you didn’t get affected nearly as badly?” she grumbled, noting the slight tinge of red to Ikrie’s arms and cheekbones.  


The dark-haired girl shrugged, smirking.  


“Guess I can thank my parents for that.”  


Anukai rolled her eyes as Ikrie wiped some of the remaining salve on her face and arms, rubbing it in as best she could on her own. Finally, once both of them seemed satisfied that they had done what they could, the redhead let out a heavy sigh and stretched out on her bedroll, arching her back slightly to try to avoid touching the surface with the still slightly wet portion.  


“So… how’re you feeling about your arm, now?” Ikrie asked, sitting cross-legged on her bedroll beside Anukai’s.  


“It… there’s a lot that feels… natural, already,” she replied, lifting it before her to curl and flex her fingers, again, even as the hints of the slight burning seemed to throb into her shoulder, once again, prompting her to lower it. “I… I don’t know, it feels strange. Part of me… thought that Vansa couldn’t be right.”  


Ikrie nodded, playing with a loose strand of leather from the top of her boot.  


“You thought it would always feel… separate?”  


“Like this thing that was just added onto me?” Anukai shot back, her jaw clenching. “Yeah.”  


Silence fell over them for several long moments before Ikrie broke it, once again.  


“How can you— _feel_ —things? As in… how well?”  


Anukai shrugged.  


“Getting better with it,” she replied. “If I’m trying to hold something, I have to make myself focus on if I can feel it, for now, so I don’t… you know.”  


Ikrie nodded before holding out her hand, palm up. Anukai stared at it for a moment, glancing toward her face before letting out a soft “oh” and tentatively lifting her left arm, holding her hand over Ikrie’s before the dark-haired girl lifted hers to meet it.  


“You can feel that?”  


Anukai nodded as she noted the sensation of warmth that seemed to spread across her palm, along with… something soft. Ikrie slowly pulled her hand from under Anukai’s, letting her fingers trail over her palm and fingers, as she did.  


“What does it feel like?”  


The redhead swallowed nervously as she stared at her hand, watching as Ikrie gently wrapped her hand around the metal fingers.  


“You.”  


A small smile tugged at Ikrie’s lips as she turned her hand, pushing up on Anukai’s as her wrist bent until their hands were aligned, their fingers pointing up toward the ceiling. The redhead felt Ikrie’s fingers shift slightly and she swallowed nervously before spreading her own slightly. Immediately, the dark-haired girl’s threaded between hers, although Anukai hesitated a moment. Finally, she slowly began to close her fingers, as well, feeling as the tips made contact with the back of Ikrie’s hand and coming to a stop.  


The dark-haired girl smiled as Anukai felt her squeeze her hand gently. The redhead swallowed nervously as she rolled onto her side, propping herself up with her right elbow. As she did, Ikrie gently pulled her left hand forward, turning their grip so that the back of Anukai’s hand faced her before pressing it against her cheek. A shiver ran down the redhead’s spine at the sensation, her heart beat racing as she kept her focus on the sensations from both sides of her hand.  


Slowly, Anukai began to release Ikrie’s grip from her own and the dark-haired girl let her hand fall free, a small smile tugging at her lips as she nodded.  


Swallowing nervously, the redhead turned her hand so that her palm lay against Ikrie’s face, the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding coming out in a shaky sigh. The sensation of warmth and the undeniable feeling of Ikrie, herself, beneath her palm and fingers seemed hard to reconcile while her eyes only saw the metal, machine-like hand laying against the other girl’s face, but as she slowly moved her thumb, running it just under her cheekbone and the field of freckles on it, somehow it seemed to come together for the first time.  


“What do you feel?” Anukai asked softly.  


As her gaze turned to the soft smile on Ikrie’s face, the tight, fearful sensation in her chest gave way to something much more fluttering and freeing.  


“You.”

  


  


The days continued on with more shooting contests, agility and grip tests from Vansa, and even a few hunting excursions, and with each passing one, Anukai continued to feel more at ease with each task. After one of the hunting excursions, she had even assist Rhett with fixing portions of machine armor to her new outfit, particularly on the shoulders and in the center of the chest. When the one week mark had finally come, Vansa asked the Banuk redhead to meet her in the infirmary section of the bunker, leading her to the room where they had originally met to start her recovery process with her arm.  


“So, one week,” the healer woman sighed, bracing her hands on her hips as she glanced at Anukai’s arm. “Was I right?”  


“About?”  


“Feeling like normal.”  


Anukai raised her arm, twisting it slightly to look it over as she stretched and wiggled her fingers slightly, rotating her wrist, as well.  


“About as normal as I think it’ll get,” she shrugged, smirking.  


Vansa nodded before suddenly tossing the small scanning device she had used before toward Anukai, who started for a moment but quickly swiped it out of the air with her left hand, holding it up for the healer woman to see that it was undamaged.  


“Seems good to me,” she laughed, taking the device back before pressing a few buttons on its surface and pointing it toward Anukai’s arm.  


The small field of blue light extended from it, once again, as she ran it from her shoulder to her fingers, nodding slowly as she did.  


“Nothing shows as strange, here,” she said, tapping a button to close the field of light, once again. “You’ve got feeling in it, right?”  


Anukai nodded.  


“Not quite as— _full_ —as the other, but… relatively good.”  


“Unfortunately that may be the best it gets,” Vansa sighed, “but it doesn’t seem to be slowing you down.”  


The redhead shrugged.  


“Guess not.”  


Vansa laughed, shaking her head before sliding the device back into a small holster on her belt. As she did, she glanced back up at Anukai, clapping her hands before her.  


“Well, with that, I give you my official declaration that you’re good to go and unless any other freak accidents happen… I’d say I don’t need to check on it anymore.”  


Anukai laughed, nodding as she shook her arm slightly at her side, a shiver running down her spine, as well.  


“So, I take it you’ll be itching to get out of here soon, then,” Vansa continued, gesturing toward the door as they began to make their way toward it.  


“Well… we’re going after whoever—or whatever—sent that signal.”  


“I know,” the healer woman sighed, following Anukai through the doorway as the metal portal slid aside. “I’ve heard that you’ve been asking about Reva and the Mountain of Ashen Rain… Just… be careful, okay?”  


Concern creased Anukai’s face as she turned to the healer woman to find her frowning slightly.  


“I know everyone’s said Reva isn’t exactly the safest place…” the redhead said slowly.  


“It’s a city full of people like us,” Vansa replied, shrugging. “Drifters and nomads who settle for a while and move on. There’s not a sense of being ‘from’ Reva… unless you get in good with the leaders, but even then… they have more ties to the Mountain than they do the city, itself.”  


Silence fell over them for several moments before the healer woman sighed, clapping Anukai on her shoulder and grinning as she shook her slightly.  


“You can handle yourself, though,” she said. “You nearly died a week ago, and here you are today.”  


The redhead offered a small smile as she nodded.  


“Oh, and don’t worry too much about getting the arm dirty or wet,” Vansa said, patting her shoulder before removing her hand and gesturing to Anukai’s left arm. “Like the machines you see out there, it has enough shielding to protect it from the basic elements. Be careful not to grab anything too hot, or electrified, because you can still damage it that way. Might want to give it a little bit of greasing if it gets tight every now and then.”  


“Oh, is that all?” Anukai quipped, smirking.  


Vansa laughed, shaking her head as they began to make their way back toward the main hallway of the bunker. As they approached the dining hall, the door suddenly slid open, revealing Ara as she stepped from the room, along with a few others from her group.  


“What a surprise, I was just looking for you,” she said, pointing to Anukai.  


“Me?”  


“Yeah,” she nodded, stepping out of the way of the others leaving the room but coming to a stop in the middle of the hallway.  


She exchanged a glance with Vansa before clearing her throat.  


“Is she all clear?”  


“Seems like she should be,” the healer woman replied.  


The newer redhead nodded as Vansa excused herself and entered the dining hall, leaving the other two to speak.  


“So, we’re taking another hunting party out tonight,” Ara said, turning to Anukai. “Want to come along to put the arm and everything to the full test?”  


The Banuk redhead considered it for a moment, but the newer redhead jumped in before she could speak.  


“Ikrie and the others can come, too, if you want.”  


Anukai finally nodded, meeting the all too familiar hazel eyes across from her.  


“I’ll ask Ikrie.”  


Ara smirked, nodding.  


“Get some food, and we’ll head out in about an hour.”  


With that, Ara slipped past her and made her way farther down the hallway as Anukai headed toward the room she had been staying in. As she entered, she found Ikrie lying on her bedroll, blinking sleepily as she lifted her head to look toward the door.  


“Sorry,” Anukai said, smirking as she approached, kneeling on her bedroll as the dark-haired girl propped herself up on one elbow, rubbing at her eyes tiredly with her other hand.  


“S’fine,” she muttered. “Did you talk to Vansa?”  


“She said I’m all good,” Anukai replied, nodding.  


“Well, that’s good,” Ikrie said, smiling. “All that in one week…”  


“Told you I’d do it,” the redhead quipped.  


The dark-haired girl nodded, yawning as she pushed herself to a full sitting position, stretching her arms over her head.  


“Also,” Anukai continued, patting her leg slightly, “Ara asked if we wanted to go with her hunting party tonight.”  


“Oh?” Ikrie replied, still in the midst of twisting her back slowly.  


“Figured it would be a good way to just confirm—everything’s working.”  


The dark-haired girl finally fell still with a heavy sigh, her hands falling into her lap as she stared back at Anukai for a moment or two.  


“You said you wanted to go, I’m assuming?”  


The redhead smirked, nodding.  


“Well… probably not a bad idea,” Ikrie nodded.  


“So… you’re in?”  


“Of course,” the dark-haired girl laughed.  


“Good, it leaves in an hour, so let’s get some food and get ready.”  


Ikrie started slightly, but began to rise to her feet. The girls gathered their equipment, Anukai slinging her newer bow over her chest as she loaded her quiver with her full array of arrows. After checking that she had everything, she grabbed the pair of hunting gloves Ara had given her and turned back to Ikrie to find her just sliding her sling back into place on her belt, patting it gently before glancing up at the redhead.  


“Feels weird to put it all back on, again,” she commented. “A bit.”  


Anukai nodded.  


“Yeah… I get the feeling.”  


With that, she stashed the gloves under her belt before they exited the room and made their way to the dining hall, where they found several other people eating while also wearing most of their hunting and excursion gear. When they caught sight of the girls, they nodded toward them before returning to their food. As they ate, Anukai found her right knee bouncing quickly beneath the table. Ikrie quickly noticed and shot her a smirk as the redhead paused with food nearly to her mouth, glancing back at her.  


“What?”  


“Nothing.”  


Anukai narrowed her eyes at her, but remained silent as she finished her food. Shortly after, Ara appeared through the doorway, fully dressed in the same clothing they had originally seen her wearing when they had been brought to the bunker, the scarf portion that had been wrapped around her face lying loosely around her neck, for now.  


“Everyone who’s going out tonight, ready to go?”  


A muttering of confirmations followed as the newer redhead’s gaze met Anukai’s, a smirk tugging at her lips before she began to turn toward the door.  


“All right, let’s get going then”  


With that, the small crowd returned their empty plates to the front of the room before grabbing their weapons from where they leaned against the wall by the door before following the other redhead toward the elevator entrance. Just as they were passing the hallway that led to the rooms the travelling women had been staying in, Anukai caught someone stepping from it, only to pause as they caught the Banuk girls’ eyes.  


“Where’s everyone going?” Talanah asked, grinning.  


“Hunting party,” Anukai replied.  


“Ah…” the Carja woman replied, nodding.  


“You want to come, too?”  


They all glanced toward the sound of Ara’s voice as she approached, having doubled back. She was looking toward Talanah expectantly with her eyebrows raised, prompting the Carja woman to hum in thought for a moment before glancing back toward the door to her room.  


“Give me a moment.”  


She quickly slunk back to her door, opening it and carefully slipping inside. The younger girls watched her go for a moment before Anukai turned back to Ara.  


“Safety in numbers,” the newer redhead quipped, grinning.  


“I wasn’t arguing.”  


A moment later, Talanah appeared from the doorway, once again, holding her equipment in one hand before slipping as silently as she could over to the girls. They all looked to her curiously as she placed the items at her feet, pulling on the armored portions of her outfit and making sure they were secured before slipping her bow over her shoulders and securing her belt, complete with quiver of arrows and other equipment.  


“Aloy not coming?”  


“She’s asleep,” Talanah shrugged.  


“You’re not… going to wake her up?”  


The Carja shrugged, grinning.  


“That’s…” Ara began to say but trailed off.  


“Listen, Aloy basically invented this behavior,” Talanah shot back. “I am perfectly capable of making decisions independent of her.”  


The younger girls all exchanged glances before shrugging and turning to follow the rest of the hunting party. As soon as everyone stood on the platform, it jerked into motion, quickly rising toward the surface as Anukai rolled her neck, shaking her hands slightly at her sides. A familiar feeling of adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins prompted her heart to begin pounding in her ears, and a grin tugged at her lips.  


As the elevator reached the top of its shaft, they found that the sun was just setting over the distant mountains, casting the world in a hazy, dark blue light that would soon turn to grey. The group made their way to the shelter that housed the Striders, Anukai, Ikrie, and Talanah taking the ones that they recognized as theirs as the rest of the group clambered atop their own. The Banuk redhead pulled the gloves from where she had stashed them under belt, pulling them on and glancing down at them, noting that they came almost up to her elbows. The outside of them was a rather hardy dark brown leather, but the interior was actually rather comfortable, and not as stiff or rough as she had imagined. Whoever had made them had done good work.  


With a sigh, she took the machine’s wires in her left hand, patting the side of its neck with her right.  


“You ridden yet, this week?” Ara asked, guiding her mount beside Anukai’s.  


“Once.”  


“You didn’t fall off, I take it?”  


Anukai smirked and shook her head.  


“Good,” Ara laughed, “because we’ve got a good ride ahead of us.”  


“Going to the city where you found us?”  


“Part of it,” Ara nodded. “It’s got the best hunting.”  


“What are we hunting, exactly?” Ikrie asked.  


“We need food and supplies for repairs and modifications,” the newer redhead confirmed. “So… a little of both.”  


“I don’t remember seeing machines there,” Aukai said.  


“You got lucky.”  


With a wink, Ara moved her mount to the entrance of the building, turning to glance back at the group as they began to gather.  


“Remember, once we get there, we move silently, and we get in and out quickly,” she called, surveying the assembled riders. “The less time we spend in the city, the less time for us to become the hunted.”  


With that, she turned back to the exit of the building, spurring her mount onward. Anukai and Ikrie exchanged glances with raised eyebrows before turning to urge their mounts onward, as well. The group quickly began to pick up speed as they charged across the open sands, racing southward. As soon as they reached a full gallop, Anukai found a broad grin tugging at her lips, even as she had to keep her head down to avoid the wind blowing sand particles into her eyes.  


The sensation of flying across the wide open ground under the sunset-lit sky as the hints of the cool night air whipped at her hair and clothing was enough to dispel the feelings of doubt from moments ago at Ara’s instructions, instead leaving something that she hadn’t felt in what felt like ages.  


Freedom.  


She was not trapped in a metal bunker forever.  


She would not be stopped or held back by a challenge.  


She had come close to death, but had not died.  


Freedom.  


By the time Anukai could just begin to make out the distant silhouettes of the ancient ruins against the night sky, she had lost track of how long they had actually been riding for. Her memory told her it must have been almost an hour or two, but the only way to truly tell was noting how the sky had gone from a deep blue lit with oranges, reds, and pinks to a more total black with hints of a grayness close to the horizon. Soon enough, she saw the figure she knew to be Ara at the head of the group raising one fist over her head, prompting the group to slow to a stop.  


Shaking her head slightly to remove some strands of hair that fallen in her face, Anukai glanced to her left, finding the small incline that she remembered climbing to find the group’s mounts that first night. The others began to dismount, so she followed suit, carefully sliding from her Strider before patting its neck, again, and moving toward the gathering group at the edge of the crest of the hill.  


The others were just beginning to don the eye protection and cloths wrapped about their heads that Anukai also recalled from first meeting the group, and she frowned slightly, glancing at Ikrie and Talanah beside her.  


“Here, I forgot I had these before we left,” Ara said, suddenly approaching them and offering extras of the same items to the girls and Talanah.  


“Why wear them if we’re just hunting machines and animals?” Anukai asked, but took the offered clothing, anyway.  


“Because you never know who you’re going to run into out here,” Ara replied, smirking. “You should know.”  


The Banuk redhead’s lips pulled into a thin line as Ara laughed softly.  


“Also, _I_ know that your hair will stick out here,” she continued. “I’ve experienced it.”  


Anukai nodded.  


“Right.”  


With that, she slid the eye protection into place, making sure it was tied securely behind her head before following Ara’s instructions to trap her hair underneath the collar of her tunic, which Talanah followed, as well, removing her hair from the tie it always seemed to be in ever since the Banuk had met her. With her hair out of the way, Anukai began wrapping the cloth over her mouth and nose first before winding it about the rest of her head. When she was fully covered, Ara nodded, now also concealed by her clothing. The Banuk redhead glanced over to see that Ikrie and Talanah had also similarly donned the wraps and eye protection.  


As Anukai glanced back toward Ara, she found her reaching the front of the group, raising her first over her head before gesturing down toward the ruins below them.  


They began to descend the slope, the sand somewhat giving way under Anukai’s boots and prompting her to move slightly faster than she had expected. When they finally reached the bottom, the group began to move toward the first of the ruins nearest to them. Almost immediately, she caught sight of motion through one of the holes left in the outside of the rusted shape and she drew her bow.  


The others nearby either noticed it, as well, or her motions, and held their weapons at the ready. The figure at the head that she knew to be Ara glanced back at her and Anukai pointed to the ruin. A small burst of motion drew her attention, once again, but Ara also seemingly noticed it as she held her rattler-like weapon at the ready.  


Anukai carefully slunk closer, stopping a few yards away to drop to a kneeling position, squinting through the slight film of dust that coated the eye protection and the general darkness to try to see what it was amidst the ruin. A moment later, she caught sight of an undeniably fur pelt slipping through one of the openings, and she drew her bow at the ready, tracking the motion with her eyes.  


Finally, she pointed her arrowhead toward one of the openings to the left, making sure the string was drawn taught, and waited. Several long seconds later, she caught sight of the small creature in the opening and loosed her arrow. A pained yelp sounded from the ruin and she quickly leapt up, moving toward it even as she drew another arrow. When she reached the opening, she quickly scanned the interior of the ruin for other signs of motion before glancing down just below where she stood.  


A fox lay still on the ground, its mouth left open as if still in mid-cry, while her arrow remained firmly lodged just behind its neck. Something touched her shoulder and she whirled around to find the figure who she assumed was Ara pulling her hand away, but nodding. Anukai nodded in response, as well, before turning back to the ruin and hopping inside to collect her catch. As she removed the arrow, she noted that it didn’t seem to have been damaged, so she carefully wiped the blood off the arrowhead on the sand outside before dropping it back into her quiver.  


When she stepped back outside, Ara offered what appeared to be a burlap sack, holding it open as Anukai dropped the fox carcass in it. Ara quickly closed the sack before turning to hand it to one of the other group members behind her. They both exchanged nods, once again, before Ara gestured around the ruined building, indicating farther into the city.  


They resumed their path, heading farther into the maze of ancient structures as Anukai kept her gaze constantly sweeping back and forth across the open ground before them. The rusted remains of the ancient buildings around them almost reminded her of a strange, nightmarish forest as they passed beside them. Several had already begun to topple, with the occasional towering structure leaning precariously on another beside it.  


As they came across several other foxes and even a boar or two, Anukai motioned for Ikrie to take the shots at them. The other girl still didn’t look as comfortable with the bow as Anukai or Talanah did, but she did manage to hit one or two of her targets accurately enough to take them down with a single arrow.  


As the dark-haired Banuk began to retrieve her second kill, something made Anukai glance toward one of the shorter ruins across from them, her left hand instantly shooting out and grabbing Ikrie’s arm, holding her in place. The other girl jumped under her grasp, glancing back, only for Anukai to shake her head, holding one finger over her mouth, even if Ikrie couldn’t see it. The other girl fell still as the redhead stared across the open ground, searching for a hint of what she had seen moments ago.  


After several long, tense moments of silence, she hadn’t seen it again, but the hair on the back of her neck still stood on end.  


“What did you see?”  


She started at the sound of Talanah’s whispered voice in her ear, glancing back toward the other huntress, just barely noticing the glow of her Focus through the cloth wrapped about her head. As she did, Ikrie suddenly grabbed Anukai’s arm, shaking her slightly and prompting her to whirl back around. The other girl nodded toward where the redhead had been searching earlier, and Anukai quickly followed her gesture, once again.  


As she did, she saw it.  


The ever so slight shimmer in front of the building, like a haze that seemed to move and distort the image of the metal structure slightly.  


Ice instantly poured through Anukai’s veins as she held her breath.  


The distorted shape continued to move along the front of the building before suddenly coming to a stop at the far end.  


“Move very slowly,” she breathed, gently tugging on Ikrie’s arm.  


The other girl complied, backing away from the open ground and moving toward the ruin behind them as Anukai kept her eyes locked on the shape.  


“What did you see?” came Talanah’s voice again.  


Just then, the shape seemed to turn and the Banuk girls froze in place. A moment later, Anukai noted that it had begun to move faster, cutting to their left.  


“It saw us. Move. Now.”  


She quickly spun on her heel, pushing Ikrie toward the building as the two of them took off in half-crouched runs toward an opening in the side of the metal structure. Talanah noted their trajectory and quickly turned to follow suit, Anukai noting another figure also following closely behind her. The four of them quickly slipped into the ruin and slid into cover below the bottom of the opening.  


“You see where it went?” Ikrie whispered from beside her, Anukai noting how the faint glow of her Focus also shone from underneath the cloth wrap.  


“Somewhere to our left,” the redhead breathed. “Probably wrapping around to get behind us.”  


“What was it?” Talanah asked, again, remaining low in her cover and not glancing over the top.  


“Stalker,” Anukai replied.  


Talanah swore under her breath as the other figure leaned around her slightly.  


“Is that what you call it?” came Ara’s whispered tone.  


“What do you call it?”  


“A pain in my ass.”  


Anukai smirked, but quickly motioned for everyone to fall silent as she listened intently. A moment later, the sound of the heavy footsteps resumed, the telltale sounds of the machine workings accompanying them. The redhead glanced to her left, but didn’t dare lift her head above cover as she heard the sounds of the footsteps seemingly pass the edge of the building.  


She took a deep breath, attempting to hold it for as long as she could as she focused on the sounds of the cloaked machine, mentally tracking it. The footsteps seemed to come to a stop a few yards from the opening where they had entered, and she estimated that it had to have been where she and Ikrie had been when she first spotted it.  


Even a moment later, she heard the sound of footsteps growing louder, once again, and she closed her eyes, carefully exhaling as slowly and silently as she could.  


“There’s two.”  


The other women shifted slightly from their hiding place, but otherwise remained silent. After several long moments, during which the second set of heavy footsteps came to a stop roughly near the first, Anukai estimated, she gently nudged Ikrie’s side, gesturing to their right. The other girl nodded and began to crawl along the low cover, heading farther into the ruin. The redhead turned back to Talanah to her left and pointed to her before gesturing for her to stay where she was.  


The Carja nodded in response before Anukai turned and began to crawl after Ikrie, also taking care to make sure that she remained below the sight line of the opening in the side of the ruin. After what felt like an eternity, she reached a section that featured a more complete wall that broke the line of sight between the machines and them, allowing herself to silently rise to a couching position as she moved as quickly as she dared forward, coming to a stop beside the dark shape of Ikrie.  


“Think there’s a way around them?”  


“Through the building,” Anukai gestured farther ahead of them. “Need to separate them.”  


Ikrie nodded in response before carefully continuing farther into the ruin. As they navigated the maze of collapsed and near-collapsed rooms, they finally came to a portion that appeared to be along the front of the building, once again, although several rows of what clearly used to be rooms, with whatever walls had been erected over metal support beams now long gone, remained between them and the openings at the front.  


Just as they began to move closer to the outer edge of the building, Ikrie suddenly came to a short stop, holding out one hand to stop Anukai, as well. She complied, glancing around the ruin ahead of them for a moment before she spotted what had prompted the other huntress to stop. The distorted shape she had seen earlier now passed over the images of the metal support bars ahead of them, but the redhead quickly realized that as it was distorting them, it was between them and the outside.  


The machine had entered the building, too.  


“No room,” Ikrie breathed.  


“It’s bigger than us,” Anukai replied.  


“It’ll tear this whole place down.”  


The redhead’s jaw clenched tightly as she tracked the cloaked shape of the Stalker. She had only come face-to-face with a few of them in the Cut, but each of those times, there had been only one, and there had been room to move. She had only ever seen someone destroy the cloaking device on the machine with a bomb, but inside the ruin, that seemed like an easy way to end up buried under the rock and metal of the structure.  


Suddenly, an idea occurred to her and she swallowed nervously.  


“Ikrie, you have a bomb handy?”  


The other huntress nodded, reaching for her sling before also reaching into one of the pouches on her belt, keeping her hand inside it to conceal the soft, orange glow of the munition. With a deep breath, Anukai grabbed a rock that easily fit in the palm of her hand from by her feet, weighing it carefully before adjusting her position so she had a clearer line of sight toward the front of the building.  


A moment later, she drew her arm back before tossing the rock through the ruin, watching it bounce off one of the metal support beams closer to the front with a sharp ping. The shape of the machine instantly changed course, sliding through the maze of former walls to reach where the rock had landed. Anukai quickly glanced toward the ceiling above the machine, tracking it to find that a break in the stone that made it up came just a few yards ahead of them.  


A chance that it wouldn’t all crash down on their heads instantly.  


“Talanah, get ready to make a break for it,” Anukai breathed.  


“Where?”  


“Out of the building. Find other cover.”  


A pause followed before the Carja replied.  


“Okay.”  


“Ikrie, on your mark.”  


The other girl took a deep breath before drawing the bomb from its pouch, sliding it into the sling and drawing it back. She took aim for several long moments until Anukai noted that the machine seemed to be losing interest in the sound of the rock and was beginning to move back toward them.  


“Ikrie…”  


Just then, Anukai’s eyes seemed to lock with the faintly yellow glow that she knew to be the machine’s eyes under the cloak, and her heart seemed to stop.  


“Ikrie!” she hissed.  


“Away.”  


With that, the other girl squeezed the bomb, arming it a moment before she loosed it from the sling, the glowing projectile arcing dangerously close to the ceiling before falling directly onto the shimmering image of the machine. The sudden explosion ripped through the structure, the flames from the blast spreading several yards across the ceiling as Anukai heard a heavy creaking and groaning from around them.  


In reaction to the blast, the Stalker was also knocked backward, the cloak flickering and disappearing just in time for the girls to watch it crash through one of the rusted support beams. Instantly, the ceiling above it began to crumble and give way, prompting the machine to thrash about slightly as it tried to get out of the way. This only led to it damaging more of the structure, prompting more of the ceiling to crumble.  


“Get out, now!” Anukai growled, grabbing Ikrie’s arm to begin pulling her away from the collapsing portion of the building.  


Before she could, however, the other huntress grabbed another bomb from her pouch, arming it and loading it in her sling.  


“Ikrie!”  


The bomb sailed from her sling, slamming into the side of the machine ahead of them, and prompting it to stagger and thrash even more. The groaning and creaking grew even louder around them as Anukai gripped Ikrie’s arm and tugged her backward sharply.  


“We’re leaving, now!”  


The huntresses quickly rose from their hiding place, racing in the opposite direction from the destruction as quickly as they could. The path was not as clear as either of them had hoped, however, as more collapsed portions of the ceiling blocked them and forced them to readjust their path.  


Just as they finally reached the outside edge of the ruin, however, Anukai caught sight of a bright, blue light growing larger directly ahead of them.  


“Down!”  


She quickly shoved Ikrie to the left, throwing both of them toward the ground as the strange sound of the Stalker’s cannon passed over them, slamming into a portion of the collapsed ceiling and shattering it instantly.  


“There’s another one outside. That way, go!” Anukai panted, quickly scrambling to her feet and dragging Ikrie with her as they charged forward and away from the second machine.  


The huntresses charged through the ruined building, both nearly tripping and falling over numerous pieces of rock, metal, and other debris that blocked their path, all while occasional bright blue bolts from the Stalker’s cannon soared past them or slammed into surfaces ahead of them. As Anukai saw what appeared to be the upcoming side of the building ahead, the sounds of the heavy creaking and groaning from the ruin around them grew much louder, and she happened to spare a glance back to find that huge cracks were spreading across the ceiling over their heads, the dust from the fracturing stone already beginning to fall on them.  


In a split second decision, she suddenly grabbed Ikrie and pulled them both to the right, forcing the dark-haired huntress through an opening in the side of the ruin. They both tumbled onto the sand outside as the sound of creaking and groaning behind them gave way to the sound of tearing metal. Anukai glanced back toward the building to see it seemingly shift and shake, suddenly dropping much closer to the ground.  


The redhead began to scramble to her feet, dragging Ikrie with her, only to stop as the Stalker that had been following them from the outside suddenly uncloaked directly before them, its red eyes staring them down as the light on its cannon began to build, once again.  


Anukai clenched her jaw as she tried to make the split-second decision if she could dive out of the way, only for the light to suddenly disappear. As she closed her eyes, expecting to feel the sharp impact of the bolt, she instead heard a loud, mechanical growling and whirring from before her. The redhead’s eyes shot open to find the Strider’s cannon now lying on the ground beside it, sparking.  


Confusion creased her face until she heard a loud bang echo across the open ground. Anukai whirled around to find a figure wielding the rattler-like weapons of the group from the bunker, the weapon raised toward the Stalker. The weapon fired several more times, each time with a loud bang that somehow was audible over the sound of the collapsing ruin beside them.  


“Move!”  


Anukai quickly reached down, grabbing one of Ikrie’s hands and pulling her to her feet before beginning to run away from the ruin. She heard the sound of the Stalker’s heavy, bounding footsteps, and she spared a glance over her shoulder to see if it had decided to give chase, but it appeared to have chosen a new target, now, charging toward the figure that had actually shot it.  


Based on the clothing below the cloth wrap around the head, Anukai could only assume it was Ara, and her eyes widened slightly as she skidded to a halt, watching the other girl spin around and begin to run away from the machine, but she had barely made any significant progress before it was on her.  


As the machine’s front claws swiped at her, Ara suddenly dove forward, rolling across the ground and just barely missing the razor sharp machinery. The machine proceeded to stagger for a few steps after its lunge, evidently trying to regain its footing, only for something else to hit it from the side.  


A moment later, a loud explosion rocked the machine, sending it falling to its side in the sand as various components flew into the air. Anukai’s gaze turned to the ruin beside the collapsing one to find Talanah standing in one of the openings on its side, as well, bow drawn and another arrow already nocked. As she loosed it, the Banuk redhead noted the blinding light that had begun to build on the Stalker’s side, until another loud explosion ripped through it.  


The Stalker flailed on the ground as more sparks shot from it, only for Ara to suddenly appear above its head, aiming her weapon directly at its eyes. With several loud blasts, the machine’s skull was ripped apart, sparks and chunks of metal flying freely. Ara took a step or two back as the machine finally lay still.  


With a tug on her arm, Anukai led Ikrie toward the other women, glancing back at the ruined building still sinking toward the ground as a cloud of dust began to billow from it, nearly reaching them. Suddenly, the Banuk redhead found herself grateful to be wearing the cloth head wrap and the eye protection as the blast of dust and sand particles washed over them. By the time they had reached Ara, Anukai could barely see more than a few feet ahead of her.  


“You okay?” the other redhead asked, turning toward her.  


“Thanks to you,” Anukai panted  


“Good,” Ara replied, glancing toward the enormous cloud of dust and debris behind them and cursing. “We should get what we can and leave. That’s going to draw even more.”  


The Banuk redhead agreed, she and Ikrie taking watch as Talanah and Ara made quick work of what components they could salvage before signaling for them to leave. As they turned to make a break back to their mounts, Anukai noted what appeared to be a dark stain on Ara’s sleeve and she stopped her.  


“You okay?”  


Ara shrugged it off, patting her arm gingerly.  


“Must’ve been a piece of shrapnel,” she said. “Shouldn’t have stood so close to that thing when I blew its head off.”  


Anukai decided not to press further, nodding before they took off at a run toward the gathering group that had formed at the base of the incline where they kept their mounts.  


“What happened?” one of them called as soon as the four women approached.  


“Ambushed by machines,” Ara panted. “We’re done here tonight. We’ll come back tomorrow.”  


The group didn’t question her as they instead glanced back the way they had come before hurrying up the incline as fast as they could. As they reached the top, Anukai happened to glance back and noted more shimmers moving about the line of ruined buildings, seemingly converging around the fallen machine.  


Clenching her jaw, she forced herself to redouble her efforts, clambering up the sandy slope until they crested the top, finding the herd of machines milling about, seemingly somewhat disturbed by the action below. Anukai quickly approached her mount, dragging herself atop it and glancing around at the others. As she did, she saw Ara suddenly falling back onto the ground beside her mount, the vague sound of her voice reaching the Banuk redhead enough to tell her that she was angry.  


Quickly, Anukai slid off her mount, once again, and raced over to her just as Ara had managed to get to her feet.  


“I’ll help you,” she panted, crouching slightly and holding her hands cupped over her knee.  


“Got it,” Ara muttered, attempting to reach to pull herself onto the Strider on her own.  


With a sigh, Anukai straightened up, noting how Ara was attempting to mainly use her left arm, but it wasn’t yielding much success. The Banuk redhead instead stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Ara’s middle and lifting her toward the seat of her mount. The newer redhead let out a surprised yelp, but managed to pull herself into position, finally.  


“Not gonna fall off, now?” Anukai asked.  


Ara glanced down at her for a moment, the clothing obscuring her expression, but she eventually laughed, shaking her head.  


“I’ll be good.”  


With that, Anukai nodded, hurrying back to her own mount as one of the others in the group suddenly called out.  


“They’re drawing closer!”  


The Banuk redhead cursed under her breath, hauling herself atop her Strider before turning to spur it back the way they had come. As she did, she caught sight of two pinpricks of blue light glowing brighter on the side of the incline. She quickly ducked against her mount’s back, keeping herself as low as possible, as the bolts suddenly flew toward their group. A cry of pain sounded from somewhere behind her, and she glanced back to see one of Ara’s group nearly falling from their mount until another pushed them back into place, patting their shoulder until the injured figure had gripped the wires of their machine, again.  


“Go, now!” someone beside Anukai barked and she turned her attention back to the disturbed sand that marked their entrance.  


With a sharp jab of her heels against the sides of the machine, her mount began to charge forward, quickly putting distance between herself and the ruined city. A few more bright blue bolts of light shot over their heads before they finally seemed to stop, the group quickly placing more distance between themselves and the Stalkers, who didn’t seem particularly interested in giving chase.  


Finally, after charging at a full-on gallop for a half hour or so, someone at the front of the group beside Anukai seemed to signal to slow down and she eased back on the machine’s wires. As they slowed to more of a walking pace, the Banuk redhead glanced around at the group, searching until she spotted Ikrie’s tunic a few yards behind her and Talanah’s a few yards to her right. With a sigh, she felt her heart rate begin to relax, her hands easing their grip on the Strider’s wires, as well.  


“Everyone still with us?” one of the figures near the front of the group called, glancing back.  


“Everyone’s still breathing, but Vansa’s going to have some work when we get back!” someone else called in return.  


The group quickly resumed their fast pace, charging across the moonlit desert as fast as their mounts would take them, Anukai simply following the other members of the group who led, hoping that they knew the way. After a return trip that felt much longer than their initial journey to the ruined city, they finally came into sight of the half-buried ruins that marked the entrance to the bunker. As soon as the Striders were inside the shelter, once again, Anukai slid from her mount, pulling the cloth wrapping from around her head as Ikrie did the same.  


“You okay?” the Banuk redhead asked, approaching her as she slid off her mount.  


“Just fine,” the dark-haired girl said, nodding.  


“I’m sorry, those Stalkers started firing and—”  


“I’m okay,” Ikrie interrupted, gripping her shoulders and shaking her slightly, “it’s okay.”  


Anukai paused for a moment before sighing, nodding as Ikrie slid her arms around her, the redhead returning the embrace tightly for several moments before they pulled apart. As they did, Anukai glanced around until she found Talanah standing beside Ara, the other redhead wincing and trying to turn away from the Carja woman.  


“We’ll just get down there first,” Ara was saying. “There’s others who’ll need it more.”  


Talanah appeared to consider saying more before sighing and shaking her head. As Ara caught Anukai’s gaze, she smirked.  


“Can’t catch a break with arms, you and I, huh?”  


The Banuk redhead’s lips drew into a thin line, but she nodded. With that, the group made their way back toward the elevator, the figure who had been hit by the Stalker blast leaning rather heavily on another, while Ara simply carried her weapon in her left hand. Finally, when they reached the elevator platform, they quickly descended toward the bunker below.  


As soon as the doors to the elevator opened, Anukai caught sight of a familiar face waiting at the hallway intersection ahead. The sound of Talanah sighing beside her only prompted the redhead to smirk as the group began to file off the elevator. Aloy watched the group pass her until the other three travelling women reached her, at which point the older redhead’s gaze locked onto Talanah and she immediately stormed toward her.  


The group braced for a verbal onslaught, but instead, Aloy simply wrapped her arms around the Carja woman in a tight embrace, remaining silent. Talanah seemed surprised for a moment before returning the embrace. A few moments later, the older redhead pulled away, holding her at arm’s length before sighing and shaking her slightly.  


“You scared the shit out of me, Tal,” she said. “I know I have no right to be mad, but… I woke up and no one was there…”  


Aloy trailed off, hanging her head as Talanah raised her hands to gently grip her arms, as well.  


“Hey, it’s okay, I know, I’m sorry…”  


Anukai glanced over at Ikrie, the dark-haired girl returning her gaze for a moment before nodding farther along the hallway and they carefully slipped around the older women.  


“Wait,” Aloy said, glancing toward the girls as they moved to pass her. “Are you two okay?”  


“We’re fine,” Anukai replied, nodding. “A little dusty, but fine.”  


The older redhead sighed heavily, nodding as her shoulders sagged slightly in relief.  


“Okay, sorry, I… just wanted to make sure.”  


The Banuk redhead offered a small smile, nodding as she and Ikrie resumed their walk down the hallway. As they reached their room, they began to remove their equipment, Anukai shaking the dust and sand off hers into the far corner before stacking it in her usual spot against the wall. Finally, once she had removed the outer portion of her outfit, leaving just the fabric wrap underneath and her leggings, she fell onto her bedroll, groaning softly.  


“You didn’t actually get hit by anything, right?” Ikrie asked, falling onto her bedroll, as well.  


“Not that I’m aware of,” Anukai shrugged, glancing down at herself and running her right hand over her torso, not finding any warm, red, wet spots.  


As she glanced toward Ikrie, however, she sat up, noting how the dark-haired girl was running her thumb over a small, red line just under her right cheekbone.  


“Got clipped by a piece of something,” she shrugged.  


“Is that it?” Anukai asked quickly, leaning in toward Ikrie and gently running her thumb under the cut.  


“Yes, that’s it,” Ikrie laughed. “I’m fine.”  


The redhead continued to frown for a few moments before she sighed, letting her hand fall away from Ikrie’s face.  


“I think I’ll live… barely,” the dark-haired girl quipped, smirking.  


“You better.”  


Anukai quickly placed a kiss against her lips, lingering for several long moments before pulling back. Ikrie hummed softly, a mischievous smirk tugging at her lips.  


“A bit more of that might make sure I’m okay, though.”  


Anukai rolled her eyes but leaned in toward her, placing a much quicker kiss on the dark-haired girl before pulling back.  


“I could maybe help with that…”  


Ikrie’s eyebrows raised slightly as Anukai smirked, beginning to lie down on her bedroll, once again, prompting the dark-haired girl to follow suit, quickly pulling herself tightly against her side.  


“We do need to sleep, though,” the redhead said.  


“Do we?”  


“Haven’t you been the one telling me that it’s good?”  


Ikrie sighed, lying her cheek against Anukai’s shoulder as she shrugged.  


“I can be wrong… sometimes.”  


The redhead laughed softly, reaching to wrap one arm around Ikrie’s back gently running her fingers through her hair.  


“I guess it works out that I don’t think I can, right now.”  


Ikrie turned her head, placing a kiss against the exposed skin of the redhead’s shoulder.  


“See? Even when I’m wrong… it’s with the best of intentions.”


	6. Follow Your Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday, y'all.
> 
> Slightly shorter chapter this week, but... there's a lot packed in here.
> 
> We finally get to leave the bunker, so there's that.
> 
> Also, we're going to get some pretty big emotional extremes here, between the beginning and the end, so brace yourselves for the whiplash.
> 
> There's a little scene from the actual game that maybe hasn't actually played out in this "universe" yet...

When Anukai finally found herself rising from the depths of sleep, the sensation that something was different, strange even, came over her, and she paused just before attempting to open her eyes. A moment later, the realization of what it was hit her: it was a feeling of security.  


She didn’t recall any nightmares, real or imagined, and she most definitely was not alone.  


The weight and warmth of another body against her right side, reaching almost halfway across her own, was immediately apparent, but it didn’t feel smothering. If anything, she found herself wishing she would never have to leave this position.  


Forever caught in a half-sleep, knowing exactly where she was and what was happening… and not being worried by any of it.  


A dream she could finally aspire to—someday.  


With a slow, deep breath, she stirred slightly, but kept her eyes closed. Her right arm lifted slowly and she felt it wrap around the warm shape of Ikrie. The redhead’s hand gently came to rest against the back of what she assumed was the other girl’s shoulder, and she gently dragged her fingertips over the warm skin beneath them. Ikrie didn’t stir, or make any other sign that Anukai had disturbed her, so she continued the motion.  


Immediately, her mind wandered to the feeling of that same, warm skin pressed up against her from her shoulder to her foot and a light, fluttering feeling appeared in her chest, quickly manifesting in a small smile that tugged at her lips. The feeling quickly swelled to the point where it almost felt like something physically pushing at the inside of her ribs, but it wasn’t painful.  


It was quite the opposite.  


Finally, Anukai relented and slowly began to crack open her eyes. The lights from above were a blurry mass for several moments, but her gaze quickly shifted downward, away from the bright haze, to a dark shape. The redhead’s fingers continued to gently slide across Ikrie’s back as the image of the top of her head slowly came into focus. The dark-haired girl’s head lay on Anukai’s right shoulder, still seemingly lost in a deep sleep.  


The redhead’s smile quickly turned into a smirk as the thought that she couldn’t blame her crossed her mind.  


She had been rather tired out, too.  


With a slow, deep sigh, Anukai tried to settle back in, closing her eyes, only to feel the other girl half-atop her begin to stir. Still, the redhead kept her eyes closed, waiting to see if Ikrie was actually awake. After several moments had passed and the other girl still continued to move and stir, she had to assume she was.  


A moment later, her thoughts were confirmed when she felt Ikrie’s head lift slightly, the strands of somewhat shaggy, dark hair tickling the skin on Anukai’s shoulder before she felt a warm, soft feeling replace it. The redhead tried her best not to react, or give any hints that she was awake, but a moment later she heard Ikrie laugh softly.  


“You can stop pretending to be asleep.”  


Anukai sighed through her nose, cracking her eyes open once again to find Ikrie’s chin propped on her shoulder, a grin tugging at her lips.  


“What gave it away?” Anukai asked groggily.  


“That smile on your face.”  


The redhead rolled her eyes, but Ikrie only laughed and placed another kiss on her shoulder before pulling herself upward until their faces were even, the dark-haired girl’s hovering over Anukai’s.  


“Sleep well?” she asked, the grin still on her features.  


Anukai hummed softly, nodding.  


“Best in… a long time.”  


“Good.”  


With that, Ikrie leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on the redhead that lingered for quite some time as Anukai’s arm tightened its hold around her, pulling the dark-haired girl firmly against her. When their lips finally separated again, Ikrie stared down at her with a small, but incredibly genuine smile, her eyes seemingly flicking back and forth between Anukai’s before she leaned forward again. This time, though, Ikrie laid her head beside the redhead’s, burying her face in the crook of her neck.  


Anukai kept her grip tight with her right arm, but carefully lifted her left, as well, laying her fingers gently along Ikrie’s side and focusing on the feeling as she slid them slowly onto her back, moving them in a slow, massaging motion. The dark-haired girl didn’t shiver or flinch, but shifted slightly, a low hum reverberating in her chest.  


“Okay?” Anukai asked softly.  


“Very.”  


They remained locked in the moment and their positions for what felt like another hour, Anukai quickly losing track of time as her eyes drifted closed, again, her hand continuing its massaging motions across Ikrie’s back. Just as she felt like she might actually drift off to sleep, once again, a strange, synthetic chirping sounded from nearby, prompting both girls to freeze and grow tense. When the redhead’s eyes finally opened, again, she found Ikrie also lifting her head from beside hers, a look of confusion on her face.  


They both glanced around before Anukai’s eyes fell on a small, glowing shape beside her bedroll. She blinked several more times before the Focus finally seemed to come into view. Stillness fell over the girls as they both seemed to stare down at the chirping device for several long moments before Anukai relented and removed her hand from Ikrie’s back, reaching for it and holding it beside her left ear. The device snapped into place, once again, and the sound of the device coming to life sounded in her ear.  


“Are you two awake?”  


The voice was not GAIA’s, and it took her a moment to realize who it was, but she quickly sighed, closing her eyes, once again.  


“Well, we are now,” Anukai muttered.  


“Sorry, kid,” Aloy replied, laughing softly. “We wanted to talk.”  


“And it couldn’t wait?”  


“Not really.”  


A frown began to twist at the younger redhead’s lips as her eyes slid open, again.  


“Is something wrong?”  


“No, not really… wrong,” Aloy said, pausing before sighing. “Today may be our best window to leave for Reva.”  


Something tight formed in Anukai’s stomach as she swallowed nervously at the hard lump in her throat. Her heart rate instantly began to increase, and Ikrie gave her a worried glance; she had to have felt the change, too.  


“O-oh?” Anukai finally managed in response.  


“GAIA says there’s a storm coming, and we can beat it if we cut westward,” Aloy continued. “All of this is why we wanted to talk… face to face, you know.”  


Anukai sighed heavily, closing her eyes again, for a moment.  


“Give us a little bit.”  


“We’ll see you at the dining hall.”  


With that, Anukai removed the device from beside her ear, dropping it on the floor beside the bedroll, once again.  


“Everything okay?” Ikrie asked softly.  


The redhead remained silent, but instead wrapped her arm behind the dark-haired girl, squeezing her tightly as Ikrie leaned her head forward beside hers. A moment later, Anukai felt one of her hands reach up to gently run over her hair on the side of her head.  


“We don’t have to go,” the dark-haired girl whispered softly.  


The redhead drew a slow, shuddering breath, prompting Ikrie to turn her head, placing an insistent kiss into her cheek.  


“I know you’ll say we do,” she said before Anukai could even speak, her voice barely louder than a breath but her lips inches from the redhead’s ear, “but I just wanted you to know it’s an option.”  


Anukai adjusted her grip around the dark-haired girl, again, as if she were somehow trying to squeeze her tighter, but taking great care to make sure she was favoring her right arm. The thought that they had to go, that she had said they had to go, kept running through her mind, but another part of her, the part that ached inside her chest and burned along her skin everywhere it met Ikrie’s, wanted to keep her here, in this particular moment, forever.  


The dark-haired girl’s fingers trailed through Anukai’s hair gently as her cheek nuzzled into the redhead’s, as well.  


“This isn’t the end of _this_ , forever,” Ikrie whispered. “You’ll always have me.”  


A sound like a whimper escaped the redhead’s throat and she squeezed her eyes shut tightly, only to feel Ikrie shift under her grip. The feeling of the dark-haired girl’s hand on the side of her face finally prompted Anukai’s eyes to open, just as Ikrie’s thumb ran across her cheekbone.  


“Whatever you decide—”  


“We have to go…”  


“And I’ll be with you the whole time,” Ikrie said. “I don’t want to get up right now, either… so I won’t go anywhere until you do.”  


Anukai stared back at her for several long moments before nodding, prompting a small smile to tug at the other girl’s lips. A moment later, Ikrie had leaned forward, planting a kiss on her, once again. Anukai quickly accepted it, her lips parting to pull one of the dark-haired girl’s between them as her arms squeezed her, once again. Her hands began to wander as the moment continued, reveling in every inch of warmth, of closeness, that they could find.  


Finally, though, the moment began to fade, their motions slowing, until their lips pulled apart, just barely. They both remained silent for several moments before Anukai insistently placed one last, brief kiss against the other girl’s lips.  


When the moment came that they finally began to disentangle, Anukai found the sense of cold that quickly began to settle over her in Ikrie’s absence instantly sent a shiver down her spine and goosebumps across her skin. As the dark-haired girl fell onto her side beside the redhead, propping herself up with one elbow, a heavy sigh escaped her. A moment later, her fingers ran across Anukai’s stomach, the gesture bringing a slight tingling sensation to the redhead.  


“Glad that salve cleared up your burn,” Ikrie said, grinning.  


Anukai nodded.  


“That was… not fun.”  


The dark-haired girl laughed softly, nodding.  


“But now we know.”  


With that, Ikrie finally seemed to force herself to leave Anukai’s side, turning to begin searching for her clothing on the other bedroll. The redhead remained lying on her back, head turned to one side as she watched Ikrie sift through the clothing, attempting to tell the difference between certain pieces. When she glanced back to ask which of theirs the fabric tunic wrap in her hand was, the redhead simply shrugged, grinning.  


Ikrie rolled her eyes before approaching the redhead, scanning the ground to her other side before throwing the clothing on her stomach.  


“I’m saying it’s yours.”  


Anukai held it in one hand, but remained still on her bedroll as Ikrie finally began to dress. Once she had pulled on her leggings and the fabric under-tunic wrapping, tying and securing it in place under the waist of her leggings, she sighed, glancing back at Anukai and raising her eyebrows.  


“You going to get dressed, too?”  


“Eventually.”  


Ikrie rolled her eyes, shifting closer and leaning directly over Anukai’s head.  


“If I can do it, you can, too.”  


“I know, but watching you do it is more fun.”  


The redhead paused as the realization that the phrase had simply slipped out of her crossed her mind, but Ikrie didn’t seem to notice. Instead, her face quickly began to turn a dark red, prompting Anukai to quickly swallow the lump in her throat.  


“It’s not a bad thing…”  


“I-I know,” Ikrie interrupted. “Just…”  


She trailed off, a shiver running through her before a broad grin settled over her face.  


“Just get dressed.”  


Anukai finally relented, smirking and pulling herself to a seated position as she threw the piece of fabric clothing over her head. Within a few minutes, both girls were fully dressed, with Anukai finally slipping her Focus beside her ear with a sigh. No voices immediately tried to talk to her, thankfully, as she glanced over at Ikrie to see her slipping her Focus into place, as well. As she did, however, the dark-haired girl paused, gaze staring vacantly into space before her for a few moments before her face quickly turned a dark red, once again.  


“Everything okay?”  


The dark-haired girl quickly tapped her Focus, nodding, but not saying anything. A dubious expression came over Anukai, but she didn’t press further as they made their way out of the room and toward the dining hall. Immediately upon entering, they spotted the older women from their travelling group at a table on the far side of the room, the redhead quickly standing out amongst the crowd around her. What drew Anukai’s attention the most, however, was the other redhead seated across from her.  


“Recruiting help?” Ikrie asked softly.  


“Not out of the question.”  


After they had grabbed food from the front of the room, they approached the table, taking seats next to Ara, and across from the other two.  


“Long night?” the other redhead asked, smirking at Anukai.  


The Banuk redhead shrugged, but otherwise didn’t respond to her teasing.  


“So, trying to recruit more members for our party?” she asked, instead, glancing between Aloy and Ara.  


The newer redhead sighed, folding her arms on the table before.  


“We asked,” Aloy replied.  


“But I… I can’t,” Ara finished.  


“Oh?”  


“I can’t just leave everyone here,” she continued, nodding toward the others around them. “It’s not like they couldn’t handle themselves without me, but… after everything that happened, it just wouldn’t feel right.”  


Anukai nodded, glancing down at her plate, once again.  


“I’ll make a deal, though,” Ara continued, prompting the others to glance over at her with curious expressions. “We’ll make our way eastward and in a month or two… I’ll meet you all at this Meridian place.”  


“You want to go to Meridian?” Talanah asked.  


Ara shrugged, smirking.  


“Like I said, we’re always looking for something new.”  


Anukai caught a grin tugging at Aloy’s lips as the older woman nodded.  


“Deal.”  


Everyone glanced toward her for a moment before Ara turned to Anukai.  


“You’re going back there, too, right?”  


The Banuk redhead opened her mouth to reply before pausing, the realization that the answer wasn’t immediately on the tip of her tongue prompting a strange feeling to sink in her stomach. She glanced toward Ikrie, but the dark-haired girl seemed as at a loss for an answer as she was. Finally, Anukai turned back to Ara beside her.  


“I imagine we’ll be there for a little while, at least.”  


Something largely unreadable, but perhaps approaching on something like disappointment crossed Ara’s eyes for a moment before she quickly cleared her throat.  


“Well, I hope you do, and I hope I don’t miss you, then,” she said, laughing. “I want to hear some good stories and I’m gonna need someone to show me how these eastern tribes have fun.”  


Anukai hesitated for a moment before smirking and laughing softly, nodding.  


“Sounds just like me. The fun one.”  


The others laughed as she felt Ikrie elbow her from her left, the Banuk redhead glancing over at her with a smirk.  


“So, you said we had to leave today,” Anukai sighed, turning back to Aloy and Talanah across from them.  


The older redhead nodded, finishing the last piece of food on her plate before sliding it forward slightly.  


“GAIA’s tracking a large storm that will be coming through, soon. We can get around it if we head directly west and then north.”  


“Waiting it out isn’t an option?” Ikrie asked.  


“Not a lot of rain in the desert,” Talanah chimed in. “When it does… well, can make things a bit harder going.”  


Anukai met Aloy’s gaze, the two of them remaining silent for several moments as an unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them. They could wait it out, if they wanted.  


But they didn’t want to.  


By the expressions on Ikrie’s and Ara’s faces, it was clear they didn’t buy what Talanah had said, either.  


“So, when do we need to leave, then?” Anukai finally asked, picking at the meat on her plate.  


“I was thinking as soon as we’re done, here,” Aloy replied.  


Ikrie started in surprise glancing over at Anukai.  


“That’s… soon,” she said.  


The Banuk redhead sighed, hanging her head for a moment before looking over at her.  


“No sense prolonging it, right?”  


The girls remained silent for several moments before Ikrie nodded slowly, something passing through her eyes before she turned back to her food. The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, but also thankfully quickly, before they finished and began to rise from their table. Ara followed them toward the exit of the dining hall, Anukai noting the bandage wrapped around her right bicep, for the first time.  


“Feeling okay?” she asked, gesturing to it.  


Ara glanced down at her arm before laughing shortly and nodding.  


“Just a scratch,” she shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”  


Just as Anukai reached to open the door, it slid open before them, revealing Vansa, who jumped in surprise before laughing and shaking her head.  


“Sorry,” she said. “Still tired.”  


As she moved aside to let them pass, she noted the entire group exiting and raised one eyebrow.  


“Group breakfast?” she asked.  


“Something like that…” Ara sighed, noticeably remaining behind the others as they came to a stop out of the way of the door.  


“We’re heading out today,” Anukai explained.  


The healer woman looked surprised for a moment before sighing and nodding.  


“Figured you would move on, eventually,” she said. “Guess it’s my duty to ask one last time if everything feels okay.”  


She gestured to Anukai’s left arm, prompting the redhead to laugh softly, nodding as she moved and twisted it, as if to demonstrate.  


“Everything seems to work,” she replied.  


“Good, good…”  


Anukai frowned slightly as she noticed the somewhat glassy-eyed look that had come over Vansa.  


“Are… you okay?”  


The healer woman blinked rapidly for a moment, her gaze clearing as she focused on the redhead’s face, once again.  


“Me? Yeah—yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “Just… thinking…”  


Anukai nodded slowly as Vansa laughed softly, rubbing at her eyes with one hand.  


“You’re the first person I’ve patched up since—without my dad,” she said softly. “Just… glad I could do right.”  


The Banuk redhead’s lips drew into a thin line as she nodded slowly, a heavy feeling appearing in the pit of her stomach. A moment later, she carefully raised her right hand, gripping Vansa’s shoulder and prompting her to glance back up at her, once again.  


“Thank you,” Anukai said softly. “You did well, and I can never repay you.”  


Vansa offered a small smile, but the redhead noted how the healer’s eyes had begun to turn red, the first hints of a wateriness appearing in the corners of them.  


“Just… keep going,” Vansa said softly. “Don’t let it stop you. Keep living and… get your payback, get the life you want… that’s all I really need in the end.”  


Anukai nodded in response, squeezing the healer woman’s shoulder before releasing her, Vansa quickly wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand before taking a deep breath.  


“Well, I… uh… I’m feeling hungry, so… guess this is goodbye,” she said, glancing around at the rest of the group. “Good luck on your journey to Reva.”  


The others offered their thanks, as well, before the healer woman disappeared into the dining hall and the travelling women, plus Ara, began to make their way back to the rooms where they had stayed. As Anukai loaded her person with all of her equipment and possessions, the thought that it felt strange came over her, once again.  


She had already gotten used to not having the weight of her bedroll and all of her weapons about her person.  


With a sigh, and one last glance around the empty room, she turned back to Ikrie and they both nodded. When they stepped into the hallway outside, they found Ara leaning up against one wall, but the older women hadn’t joined them, yet. The other redhead glanced toward them before noting the gloves on Anukai’s hands and grinning.  


“Glad they work,” she said, nodding toward them.  


Anukai flexed her fingers in them, grinning, as well.  


“Did you make them?”  


“I did,” Ara replied.  


“Sure you won’t need them, then?”  


“I already gave them to you, Anukai,” she laughed. “I’m not about to suddenly change my mind.”  


The Banuk redhead smirked, shrugging.  


“Just making sure.”  


Just then, Aloy and Talanah appeared from their room, the older redhead eying Anukai with her eyebrows raised as the Banuk looked back in confusion.  


“What?”  


“Not going to wear that cloak I gave you after the other day?”  


Anukai’s confusion continued for several moments before she realized that Aloy and Talanah were both wearing the brown, fabric cloaks they had given them just before leaving Meridian. The Banuk redhead pulled her bedroll off, unrolling it before finally finding the cloak hidden amongst the blanket inside it, as well. Anukai sheepishly pulled it on, making sure her bow sat over it, as Ikrie did the same.  


“There we go,” Aloy sighed.  


Finally, they all made their way toward the entrance to the elevator, coming to a stop just before the doors.  


“I’ll come with you up top,” Ara said, tapping the panel of light to open the doors.  


When the elevator finally reached the surface, the group found themselves blinded by what appeared to be midday sunlight. Anukai held one hand before her eyes to try to protect them until she was finally able to stare out at the sand without being in intense pain.  


“How long do we have until nightfall?” Ikrie asked as they began to trudge across the open ground to the shelter with the Striders.  


“There are currently eight and a half hours until nightfall,” GAIA suddenly chimed in through the Focuses.  


“Good day’s ride,” Aloy sighed.  


“Got a while until it’s dark, I’d guess,” Ara nodded and Anukai glanced over at her before smirking as the other redhead looked back at her with confusion. “What?”  


“Nothing.”  


When they finally reached their Striders, the group began to gather their mounts, the machines seemingly barely phased by their presence. Once the machines were packed and ready to go, the travelling women all seemed to hesitate before actually hopping aboard the Striders. Finally, Anukai turned back to Ara to find the other redhead hanging back a few yards away, her arms folded over her chest.  


“So…” she sighed, glancing between the Banuk and the older redheads.  


“Guess this is ‘see you later’,” Aloy said, stepping away from her Strider.  


Ara glanced to her for a moment before grinning and nodding.  


“Yeah… see you later.”  


Aloy appeared to want to step closer, for a moment, but ultimately remained where she was, nodding, as well. Ara glanced toward Anukai for a moment, the younger redheads’ eyes meeting for a moment or two before they both nodded, as well.  


“I better see all of you in as many pieces as you are now in Meridian,” Ara said, finally glancing around at the rest of the group.  


They all laughed, shaking their heads, before they finally climbed aboard their mounts, settling into the seats on the machines’ backs. Anukai sighed, patting the Strider’s neck before her as she glanced around at the others to see that they appeared ready, as well. With one last wave from Ara, the group made their way out of the shelter, leading the Striders out into the open sand amidst the compound of ancient ruins.  


“Which way?” Talanah asked, glancing over at Aloy.  


The older redhead tapped her Focus and stared out at the horizon for several moments before tapping the device, once again and nodding.  


“This way.”  


With that, they spurred their machines onward, the pace quickly picking up into a gallop as the sand began to whip by in a blur of beige and dust. The feeling of the pounding hooves of the Strider quickly turned into a steady drone as Anukai kept her grip on the machine’s wires tight and her head down.  


For the next few hours, the Banuk redhead simply followed the shape that she knew to be Aloy out of the corner of her eye, assuming that if she were heading the wrong direction, GAIA or one of the others would let her know. Finally, Anukai noted what appeared to be a mountain range rising from the haze of the sand on the horizon. Suddenly, a chime sounded in her ear and she raised one hand to hold over the Focus at her ear.  


“Slow it down, kid.”  


The Banuk redhead tugged on the Strider’s wires, slowing the machine from a gallop to a more leisurely walk. Shaking her head to try to clear some stray strands of her hair from her face, Anukai glanced around to find the others slowing from their gallop nearby and she guided her machine toward them.  


“Where are we?” she asked as the brought her Strider to a stop beside Talanah’s, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head as she began to notice how hot the sun felt on her face.  


“Well, we’ve reached about as far west as we want to go,” Aloy sighed, tapping her Focus and staring into the air for a few moments.  


“So… now north?” Ikrie asked.  


“Northwest, yeah,” the older redhead nodded, tapping her Focus and glancing around at the others, once again. “I don’t think we’re going to reach Reva by tonight.”  


“Do you know where it is, exactly?” Anukai asked, raising her eyebrows.  


“I have triangulated the location based on the information gathered from the others in the former Area Fifty-One bunker,” GAIA suddenly chimed in, her voice somewhat scratchy and distorted in her ear.  


“Oh?”  


“It appears to be another former city of the Old World,” the AI explained.  


“Well, I guess that makes it easier to find,” Talanah sighed. “How far are we?”  


“Approximately two-hundred-sixty miles.”  


Anukai’s and Ikrie’s eyes widened slightly as Aloy smirked.  


“Told you.”  


After a few moments of rest where one of their canteens was passed around, Aloy pointed them along the mountain range in the distance, spurring them onward, once again. The group quickly picked up pace to a gallop, the mountains on the left sliding by faster than Anukai could still truly comprehend. Years of slow, trudging marches through knee-deep snow that barely crossed miles a day seemed so far removed at that moment, and she couldn’t help the grin that tugged at her lips.  


The jostling of the charging machine did occasionally become noticeable as pain that shook her hips and spine, but for the most part, the motion and vibration simply faded to a dull, background sensation.  


Every now and then, the group would pass what seemed to be ancient ruins half-buried in the sands. Ancient, crumbling stone structures and occasionally husks of rusted metal jutted from the ground, reminders that perhaps this part of the world had not once been so inhospitable, or perhaps there had been people like Ara’s group who had braved the elements, anyway.  


After a few more hours of charging forward, a strange feeling began to settle over the Banuk redhead. The miles of sand and rock and mountains ahead of her seemed no different than any of the others she had seen thus far, but she couldn’t escape the feeling that somehow it was… familiar. The sensation that she felt like she had travelled this stretch of land before sent a strong shiver down her spine, prompting her to grip the Strider’s wires tightly.  


A moment later, however, she blinked and her hands were suddenly wrapped around something very different. She couldn’t make out what it was made of, exactly, but it appeared to be circular, with a somewhat triangular shape in the center connected by three “arms” to the outer sides. Just beyond the shape, however, seemed to be the same desert she had been staring at for hours, but something was different. There was a dark stripe that seemed to extend before her, reaching all the way to the horizon.  


For a moment, the strange hints of music reached her ears, only for the next blink to remove the image, leaving her staring at the back of the Strider’s neck, once again, in an expanse of beige with black stripe in the center of it. Anukai blinked rapidly, adjusting her grip on the back of the machine as she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. A moment later, she realized that there only appeared to be two other charging machines beside her and she glanced around, pulling on her Strider’s wires to slow it from a gallop.  


The others seemed to realize, as well, bringing their machines to a stop yards ahead, but Anukai was already looking backward, her gaze settling on the single rider and machine behind them, seemingly at a standstill. With a frown, she goaded her machine back toward the shape, eventually coming to a stop next to Aloy.  


The older redhead was simply sitting atop her Strider, bent forward over its neck as she appeared to be staring down at the back of it.  


“You okay?” Anukai rasped, clearing her throat against the feeling like gravel in her throat.  


The older redhead started at the sound of her voice, lifting her head and staring back at Anukai for a few moments before clearing her own throat and nodding. As Aloy straightened on the back of her mount, sighing heavily, their eyes met, once again, and the hair on the back of Anukai’s neck stood on end.  


Before she could say anything, the sound of the others’ Striders approaching overtook them and she glanced back, finding Ikrie and Talanah coming to a stop before them.  


“Are you okay?” the Carja woman asked quickly, guiding her machine beside Aloy’s and reaching one hand toward the older redhead, Aloy reaching back and gripping her forearm in return.  


“I’m fine,” Aloy said quietly, offering a small smile to Talanah.  


The raven-haired Carja stared back at her for several moments before sighing and nodding.  


“Need to stop?”  


Aloy shook her head.  


“We’ve got too much ground to cover.”  


“Aloy—”  


“I already said I’m fine,” she interrupted. “Pass me the water, though?”  


Talanah looked as if she wanted to say more, but finally relented and released Aloy’s arm, grabbing the canteen from her things attached to her mount and handing it over. Once it had been passed around to the group, Talanah returned it to her things and they all turned their mounts in the direction they had been heading.  


“How long until nightfall?” Anukai asked.  


Silence followed for several long moments before Aloy frowned, tapping her Focus.  


“GAIA?”  


The silence continued until eventually the older redhead sighed.  


“I think we’re too far outside her range.”  


“So… we can’t talk to her and she can’t talk to us?” Anukai replied, raising her eyebrows slightly.  


“For now,” Aloy sighed. “The MINERVA towers are scattered everywhere, though, so we should be back in range soon enough.”  


The Banuk girls exchanged glances, which evidently didn’t go unnoticed as Aloy maneuvered her mount beside theirs, patting Anukai on the shoulder.  


“It’ll be okay,” she laughed.  


“I-I wasn’t worried,” the younger redhead replied, cringing at the slight stutter.  


Aloy offered a small, warm smile before releasing her and gripping her Strider’s wires, once again. A few moments later, they had resumed their pace, the machines charging across the open ground.  


The remainder of the afternoon passed without incident. No further visions flashed before Anukai, although they did pass several more ancient structures. One of them that particularly drew her attention was what appeared to be a large, metal panel that jutted from the sand, only for her to realize that its base actually appeared to be attached to the top of a stone building that just barely poked above the sand. Several rusted husks of ancient machines sat nearby, three of them smaller and more like the ones they had seen thus far, but another appeared to be much longer, with numerous gaping holes that almost seemed as if they had once been windows.  


Still, there was no time to stop and take a closer look.  


As the sun began to sink toward the horizon in the distance, Anukai began to make out signs of what appeared to be more ancient ruins in the distance, but these ones appeared to be concentrated together, more like the ones where Ara had found them, that GAIA had called Las Vegas. They definitely weren’t as tall as the ruins of Las Vegas, but it was undeniably a former city. The group finally slowed to a stop as the ruins took on more defined shapes, their twisted and half-destroyed frames outlined against the burning oranges and reds of the early evening sky behind them.  


“Can’t be Reva,” Talanah managed, frowning.  


“No, we haven’t gone far enough,” Aloy confirmed, shaking her head.  


“Then what is it?”  


After several moments of silence, in which Anukai almost felt something on the tip of her tongue, a name or a description perhaps, the older redhead simply sighed.  


“Just another ancient ruin.”  


With that, Aloy turned her mount and began to lead the group on a path seemingly to skirt the ruins, heading somewhat eastward. Anukai spared one last glance toward the distant structures, only to notice that for a moment they appeared to be whole, the sunlight glinting off glass and metal, only for the next blink to return them to the silhouetted husks they had been the entire time.  


The older redhead didn’t lead the group into a gallop, once again, but a much more leisurely pace through the sand and scraggly underbrush that had begun to pop up, once again. After about half an hour of travelling, they came across what appeared to be stone slab set into the ground, but as Anukai’s eyes followed it, she quickly realized that it seemed to extend into far into the distance, certain sections more covered by sand than others, but it unmistakably outlined a path.  


Without a word, Aloy seemed to adjust her course, leading her Strider along the path, while the others followed. The sound of the Strider’s hooves on the stone-like surface provided a difference from the dull thudding of the sand, but it only served to send a shiver down Anukai’s spine. For a moment, the clattering, heavy steps were replied but a strange, droning sound and she swore that she could feel herself borne along by another force, something stiller and smoother, but no slower. Finally, she forced her eyes open, once again, as the sinking feeling appeared in her stomach, only to find that she was not staring at the stone pathway or the desert sand, but appeared to be hundreds of yards above it.  


She quickly glanced down, only to find that she didn’t appear to somehow be flying on her own, but was seated inside some kind of metal machine, boxes of light with quickly scrolling and changing glyphs all around her. As her gaze returned to the scenery before her, she quickly realized that the world was almost entirely obscured by a haze of brown, making it nearly impossible to tell where the sky ended and the ground began.  


Still, though, she was struck by the sense of being borne onward.  


Always moving forward.  


A blink later, and she was back atop her Strider, her hands gripping the wires tightly enough that she heard the soft sound of crunching metal and the mount suddenly jerked, tossing its head and nearly sending Anukai flying from its back until she relented her grip slightly, quickly patting at the machine’s neck with her left hand, instead. When her Strider had calmed, she glanced down to see one of the wires she had been holding now clearly showed a deformity in the shape of where her fingers had gripped it moments ago.  


With a heavy sigh, she glanced around at the rest of the group to find them all glancing back at her, looks of concern on their faces. Anukai’s lips pulled into a thin line, and she simply nodded, but otherwise remained silent. The group continued on their way, but Ikrie noticeably moved her mount closer to the redhead’s, sparing her another concerned look, even as Anukai attempted to smile at her, again.  


As the sun began to finally reach the tips of the distant mountains, Aloy suddenly paused, prompting the rest of the group to bring their mounts to sudden stops, as well. Before any of them could ask what she was doing, she suddenly changed direction, turning off the stone pathway and leading the way back into the sand around them. The rest of the group exchanged glances before following after her. They continued on their new bearing until the sun actually began to sink below the mountains.  


The landscape around them had steadily filled with underbrush and plant life as they continued onward, but what drew Anukai’s attention the most was the sudden appearance of trees. Some of them appeared to have died and fallen over, leaving jagged stumps jutting from the ground, but many were still standing and living, it seemed.  


Along with the rise in the plant life, the feeling of strange familiarity had only continued to build in the younger redhead, leaving her with an uncomfortable sensation that ran down her neck and along her spine, not so much causing her to shiver but leaving a steady thrum throughout her body that brought with it an almost nauseous feeling deep in her stomach.  


It was all too familiar, but foreign.  


Pulling her forward, and screaming at her to turn back.  


She didn’t know what was ahead, but something told her she had to know.  


That same part also told her that ignorance was bliss.  


Or at least… not pain.  


Suddenly, her gaze focused ahead of them and something made her blood turn cold, her breath catching in her throat. Another structure had seemingly materialized out of the sand, almost hidden in the twilight as the sun fully sank behind the mountains. It wasn’t surrounded by other, enormous ruins, but simply seemed as if it had appeared out of the ground, itself.  


Her gaze blurred for a moment, and she could have sworn that the silhouetted building appeared whole, with another, larger construction off to the right, but she was quickly forced to close her eyes as a splitting headache shot across her skull. After a moment or two of breathing deeply, she forced her eyes open to find the scene of the structure the same as she had spotted it moments ago, but a single word now seemed to ring constantly in the back of her mind.  


“ _Don’t_.”  


As Anukai’s gaze turned from the ruined silhouette, she found Aloy with her jaw set beside her, eyes also locked on the shape. Something hard and unreadable flashed through her eyes, but still she spurred her mount onward, aiming directly for the structure. Anukai swallowed thickly, but followed. Ikrie hadn’t made any motions to directly draw the Banuk redhead’s attention, but when she glanced over, she found the dark-haired girl’s eyes also fixed on the distant silhouette.  


“A single ruin… all the way out here…” Ikrie muttered softly.  


Anukai simply pulled her lips into a thin line as she continued on the path Aloy had set, drawing every closer to the ruin. The entire time, the word in the back of her mind seemed to alternate, morphing from one to the next and back again.  


“ _Don’t_.”  


“ _Stop_.”  


They had the same meaning, but something else wouldn’t let her pull on her mount’s wires, bring it to an actual stop or turn it away.  


Whatever it was seemed to be the same thing that kept Aloy on her course, as well.  


Eventually, the silhouetted ruin began to grow larger and take on more defined features. It wasn’t made of metal, rusted under the years of sun and rain, but wood and stone. The plant life around it also appeared to be much higher than the rest of the area they had traversed, with the ground also now covered in a sparse layer of grass, although it was nowhere near as green as what they had seen beside the small stream outside of Las Vegas, or in the former city, itself.  


The other building that Anukai had seen for a moment before was harder to find, but as her gaze swept to the right of the main structure, she caught hints of what could have once been a building, although seemingly only the bottom-most foundation. Between the two, however, was something else. A rusted hulk that seemed so at odds with the wood and the grass and the stone around it.  


The shape was jagged and somewhat deformed, like many of the other metal relics from the Old World, making it hard to interpret what it once was, but the overarching sense that it was some kind of machine sank over the younger redhead. Along with it, came the feeling that she had been inside it once.  


Images of the metal construction with the boxes of light all around her, yards above the sandy ground, flashed before her eyes, once again, and brought with them the splitting headache, once again. This time, Anukai noted that Aloy reacted, as well, grimacing as she pressed the heel of one hand to her forehead.  


“You okay?” Talanah asked, quickly moving her mount closer to Aloy.  


“Yeah, just… yeah…”  


Finally, they came to a stop several yards from what appeared to be some kind of ancient gate, a wooden construction hanging over them with a mostly-rotten piece of wood at its peak. Anukai could just make out the hints of markings, like ancient glyphs, on each side, but even if she understood them, there appeared to be far too much missing to have figured what it might have once said.  


“What is this place?” Ikrie asked softly, glancing around the now mostly-dark scene.  


A long silence followed before Aloy took a deep breath, sliding from her mount.  


“What are you doing?” Talanah asked, glancing down at her, but the older redhead didn’t reply.  


Instead, she simply began to press forward, walking under the archway, only to halt a few steps beyond. Anukai noticed that she appeared to be staring at something ahead of her intently, and as she followed her gaze, she froze. There was another shape she had missed before.  


The Banuk redhead slid from the back of her mount, as well, following after the older redhead, as if in a daze, herself. Images of the structure before her whole and intact, lights pouring through windows on the front of it onto a dark field of grass flashed before her at a rapid pace, sometimes changing to that of the same building in the daytime.  


Once, she caught the tree to her left ablaze, along with the hints of two figures to her left, but when she glanced toward them, the world was dark and empty, save for the four travelers and their mounts, again. When she finally reached Aloy, she came to a stop, staring ahead at the image that had prompted both of them to come to that exact spot. Anukai swallowed heavily, staring at the seat in the middle of the open ground before the ruined structure, a silhouette sprawled atop it.  


“You’ve seen… everything I have… right?” Anukai asked softly, barely louder than a breath.  


After a few moments, Aloy responded, equally as softly.  


“More.”  


Finally, they both began to move closer, Anukai immediately feeling like each step took a monumental amount of force and energy. The very ground seemed to be tugging at her feet, trying to hold them in place, while a voice in the back of her mind pleaded with her to turn back.  


As they drew within a few yards of the seated figure, she began to realize that the voice was not her own.  


“ _Don’t_.”  


“ _Stop_.”  


Clenching her jaw, Anukai pressed onward, moving to the right of the seat while Aloy moved left, both of them circling around it until the image of the metal-clad figure came into view. The younger redhead came to a stop, finally, her eyes transfixed on the shape, half-covered in vines and moss, that both seemed to be a part of the landscape, while also entirely separate.  


As she continued to stare down at the shape, the realization began to sink in for her.  


Why this place felt so familiar.  


Why it felt like she had been drawn here.  


Why it felt like she wanted to run away.  


Why there was ignorance in never coming here.  


Why there was less pain.  


But also… why she had to.  


Why she had to know.  


Why she had to see.  


Why she had to be _right here_.  


Anukai drew a slow, shuddering breath as she heard Aloy do the same from beside her. They both spared each other a glance, the younger redhead finding every thought, every feeling, that was running through her seemingly reflected back in the older redhead’s eyes.  


She found understanding.  


They had both been in the metal suit before them.  


But they both stood here before it.  


Anukai felt her lungs burning for a moment, as if her breaths couldn’t draw enough air, but the feeling passed as she forced herself to focus on that last fact.  


She was here.  


Standing before it.  


No longer inside it.  


Finally, Aloy took the first step forward, approaching the still figure on the seat and tentatively reaching one hand toward it.  


“Don’t.”  


This time, the voice felt very much real as it echoed in Anukai’s ears, prompting her to lift her gaze from the suit, but she didn’t find anyone else around. Talanah and Ikrie still remained by the Striders, seemingly hanging back, but no longer atop their mounts. When her gaze finally fell on Aloy, she saw the older woman’s hand still outstretched, but her fingers curled into a fist tightly as she continued to stare ahead at the metal-clad figure.  


Finally, though, her grip relaxed and she closed the last foot or so to the metal breastplate, her fingers tentatively running over a portion of it. As she did, a small rectangle of blue and purple light appeared over the metal figure, flickering and stuttering slightly. In the center of the rectangle was a series of glyphs, but although they were identical in type to the ones she had seen in the bunker’s signal room, she felt as if she knew what these said.  


“Elisabet…” she breathed.  


Aloy slowly nodded, her fingers slowly pulling away from the figure as she straightened up, once again.  


“It… this… is really her…?”  


The older redhead continued to nod as she took another slow step backward, closer to Anukai, once again.  


“Really her… really the one before me… before you…”  


An intense shiver ran through the younger redhead as she slowly lifted her right hand before her, staring down at the sweat- and dust-soaked skin, clenching her hand into a fist and watching as her nails dug into her palm. When she finally looked up at Aloy, she found her staring back at her, and immediately the image of her seemed to… flicker.  


The hair and the clothes changed, if only for a moment, but the face remained almost exactly the same.  


“We’ve both been here before…” Aloy said slowly.  


Anukai swallowed heavily but nodded.  


“And… where is… here?” she asked.  


The older redhead finally turned to stare back at the ruined structure behind them, prompting Anukai to do so, as well. While most of the actual wooden structure was gone, the general outline still remained. It had a vaguely similar shape to the more permanent huts and lodges of the actual Banuk cities, or the Nora villages, but at the same time it felt… older. So much older.  


Finally, Aloy drew a slow, shuddering breath, once again, as Anukai turned back to her.  


“Home.”  


Almost immediately after, the younger redhead blinked and suddenly found herself standing in the same spot, but the building before them had seemingly been filled in, the wooden walls returning and the lights glowing from inside. Her gaze drifted to the bench behind them to find not the rusted, metal form on an ancient bench, but the seemingly very much alive image of another, older redhead, her face nearly identical to Aloy’s.  


Slowly, the image of Elisabet rose from the bench, running her hands over her face.  


“I asked you not to come here,” she said softly.  


“And you know I had to.”  


Elisabet let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob as she let her hands fall by her sides.  


“I had to try.”  


Just then, the sound of a strange, metallic squeaking drew Anukai’s attention back to the building, only for her heart rate to increase when she saw another figure now standing in its front doorway, a grin on her face.  


“Why don’t you all come on inside?”  


Anukai began to shake her head, pressing her hands against her temples.  


“This… all this… it’s not—”  


“It’s all real, kiddo.”  


A hand came to rest on her shoulder, prompting her to freeze, glancing toward it before following the arm to find Elisabet at the end of it, a sad smile on her face.  


“Or at least… it was, once.”  


“But… me? Now?”  


“I won’t bite.”  


Anukai turned back to the figure in the doorway, her face familiar, although she felt like she had never seen it outside of the strange, waking dreams in Daytower and Meridian. It felt like she should know her, but… a name didn’t come to her.  


“We can have some of Lizzy’s favorite,” the red-haired woman said, waving for them to come closer. “No need to be scared, girl.”  


“N-no,” Anukai replied, shaking her head as she stepped backward, slipping from Elisabet’s grasp. “No, no, no… this… a-all this, it… it’s…”  


“Easy, kid, breathe…”  


“It’s not real!” she said, finally looking up at the image of the two redheads before her. “It can’t be!”  


They both sighed, glancing to each other as Anukai continued.  


“Y-you’re… you’ve just been in my head,” she said, pointing to Elisabet. “T-that… the figure on that bench… she’s the real one, right? Not the one in the mountain because… if _you’re_ right—”  


She pointed to Aloy accusatorily.  


“Elisabet Sobeck d—”  


The word caught in her throat for a moment until she forcefully swallowed the lump that had blocked it.  


“Elisabet Sobeck died a thousand years ago.”  


“She did,” Aloy said, gesturing to the bench the image of Elisabet had vacated a moment ago to reveal that the rusted, metal-clad figure now sat in it, once again. “You can see that.”  


“How do I even know if that’s real?!” Anukai snapped.  


“Okay, Anukai, breathe…” the living image of Elisabet said softly, trying to offer what appeared to be a reassuring gesture, but the Banuk girl had none of it, stepping away from her, once again.  


“I’ve… seen people and places I’ve never known” she continued, her voice shaking slightly. “People I’ve never met have talked to me as if they know me. I’ve… lived and seemingly died and—nearly died—in other people’s lives and… how do you expect me to believe all of that is real?”  


By the end, Anukai’s voice had cracked into a near shrill tone, seemingly seconds away from giving way into terrified sobs.  


“I walked into a mountain and met a woman who looked exactly like me, and then I met another one just days later, and then another who not just looks like me but is the same age and… and I could _touch_ them and—a-and I had to tell myself _that_ was real, but…”  


“Anukai…”  


“No, don’t tell me to just calm down!” she shrieked, taking another step farther away from the closer redheads, while noting that the woman in front of the house had stepped away from the doorway, stopping at the top of a short set of stairs leading to the ground where the rest stood. “You’ve told me that I was— _created_ —from an ancient woman—somehow rebuilt as an exact copy of her—but then what does that make _us_?”  


She gestured angrily between herself and Aloy.  


“Am I you, too? Am I her?” she gestured to the image of Elisabet, in turn. “Are we _all_ the same? Is she just some kind of… ghost? Am I a ghost of _her_? Are _we_ ghosts of her?”  


By now, the images of the three redheads before her seemed to be blurring and streaking, along with the rest of the world as Anukai felt her chest heaving, her heart beat pounding in her ears.  


“Who am _I_?” she managed, her voice more of a squeak as she wheezed at the tight feeling constricting her chest. “ _What_ am I?”  


Finally, the younger redhead’s knees seemed to give out on her and she fell to the ground, catching herself at the last moment before she fully collapsed into the dirt, the impact of her palms slamming into the ground reverberating through her shoulders. For a moment, she felt as if she might vomit, her stomach constricting tightly, but she managed to suppress the urge as she gasped for air, her vision blurring and jittering before her.  


“Anukai, breathe.”  


A moment later, she felt hands on both of her shoulders and she managed to lift her head to find both of the nearly identical redheads kneeling before her, the expression of concern mirrored on both of their faces.  


“There are no… easy answers, I’m afraid,” Elisabet said softly.  


“But you _are_ Anukai,” Aloy continued. “What that makes you compared to us… that you’ll have to decide for yourself.”  


The younger redhead glanced between them for several moments before hanging her head, again, groaning as she shook it.  


“None of this… can be real…”  


“That’s for you to decide… or believe,” Elisabet replied softly.  


Finally, Anukai sat back on her heels, prompting both of the older redheads to pull their hands away from her. With a deep breath, she lifted her gaze to glance between for a moment, only for her gaze to settle on Aloy.  


“So what do you believe?”  


The older redhead paused for a moment, her eyes growing glassy and unfocused before she cleared her throat, the alertness returning to her gaze.  


“I believe that there’s a—connection—here, that’s too strong to ignore,” she began softly. “You’ve experienced it, I’ve experienced it… and I believe Elisabet has, too.”  


The other redhead’s lips pulled into a thin line as she nodded.  


“You’ve seen parts of my life, Anukai,” Aloy continued, “and… I’ve seen yours, too.”  


The younger redhead’s eyes widened slightly as the older redhead continued.  


“I… when I first saw you, in Meridian, I… I felt like I knew you… more than just how we share the same face,” she explained. “It… felt like a dream, almost. Like… like it shouldn’t have been real, but… there you were.”  


Silence fell over them for several long moments as Anukai caught the two older women exchanges glances before Aloy swallowed and continued.  


“It was like I remember feeling… when I began to realize what was going on with the bond between Elisabet and myself. Not a copy, or a duplicate, or a repeat, but… _another_.”  


Anukai remained silent, staring at the space between the two older redheads, their images blurring as her gaze grew unfocused, only for the realization that they seemed to have coalesced into a singular image, to dawn on her. When she blinked, she found that only Aloy remained, but the light from her right had disappeared, leaving the two of them bathed in the bluish darkness of the desert twilight.  


“We’re in this together,” the older redhead said softly, “ _all_ of us. Just remember that.”  


A moment later, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from their left and Anukai glanced over to find Ikrie and Talanah skidding to a stop beside the redheads, the dark-haired Banuk quickly falling to her knees beside Anukai, as well.  


“Are you okay?” she asked quickly. “What happened?”  


“I-I… I’m okay,” Anukai replied, nodding as Ikrie wrapped her arms around her.  


“I saw you just suddenly collapse, and…” the dark-haired girl trailed off, quickly burying her face in Anukai’s shoulder.  


The younger redhead reached up to pat her arm gently, still moving somewhat as if in a daze. Her gaze locked with Aloy's for a moment before the older redhead nodded and began to rise to her feet, turning back to Talanah. Anukai was aware of them talking, but she quickly tuned them out as she leaned her head to the side, bringing it to rest against the top of Ikrie’s.  


“Did I… say anything?” she asked softly.  


Ikrie paused for a moment before lifting her head slightly, prompting Anukai to turn toward her to find confusion etched into the other girl’s features.  


“Like what?”  


“Like… yell?”  


Ikrie slowly shook her head, prompting Anukai to let out a slow, shaky sigh, as she adjusted her position, slipping her right arm around the dark-haired girl and pulling her tightly against her side.  


“Is it… this place?” Ikrie whispered softly.  


Anukai’s gaze travelled over the older women before them, noting how Talanah’s hands rested on Aloy’s shoulders, while the older redhead kept her hands over her face, shaking her head slowly. Finally, the Carja wrapped her in an embrace, as well, the older redhead quickly returning it with a great amount of strength, it seemed.  


Finally, the younger redhead’s gaze fell on the rusted figure on the seat beside them, once again. For a moment, though, the image was replaced with that of the Elisabet from moments ago, her head leaned on the shoulder of the woman from the doorway as she ran her hand gently over the too-familiar redhead’s hair.  


“Yeah… something about this place.”


	7. Old Lives in the Modern Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Monday, y'all.
> 
> It feels like it's been way more than a week since last time. I took time off that was supposed to be my sister's graduation, but since the world cancelled things like that recently, I took a 5 day weekend, instead. Honestly, I felt like I needed it. My job makes me feel like I'm going crazy routinely, and it was nice to finally have time to just... do things I wanted... and sleep. I slept a lot.
> 
> Anyhow, this week's chapter is about 14k words. I wrote a lot. Sorry, not sorry.
> 
> Enjoy!

Despite the redheads’ objections, their dark-haired companions forced them to set up camp for the night shortly after their shared incident. Both Talanah and Ikrie argued that after what they had just seen, travelling further didn’t seem like a good idea, and by that point the sun had firmly set, leaving them coated in an inky darkness, while brush was readily available nearby for a fire.  


A compromise was eventually reached where the group set up their camp, but not directly nearby the ancient structure, instead moving a good hundred yards or so from it, in the middle of the open ground. Talanah and Aloy had led their Striders to a grazing spot nearby while Ikrie and Anukai gathered the supplies for their fire, carrying them all back to their campsite before the older women returned form corralling the machines.  


Soon after the fire, itself, had been lit, Talanah began to pass around some of their rations: dried meat gifted from the group at the bunker, along with some of the remaining tree nuts and dried fruit they had from Meridian.  


“You know, I’m already beginning to miss that bunker, a little bit,” Talanah sighed, falling onto her bedroll with a sigh and tearing off a piece of the meat in her hand.  


“Warm food was nice,” Ikrie agreed, nodding as she popped one of the nuts in her mouth and glanced over at Anukai.  


The Banuk redhead nodded, but remained silent, as she picked at small pieces of the dried meat in her hands. She half-paid attention to the remainder of the conversation, but her gaze kept finding its way to the flames before them, repeatedly growing unfocused as she stared into them, until finally Ikrie would nudge her, bringing her back to reality, where she would utter a word or two in response to whatever question the dark-haired girl asked her.  


Soon, however, the sparse conversation petered out and the women resigned to simply get sleep before they continued on to Reva the next day. Finally giving up on trying to at least feel like she needed to remain present in the moment, Anukai laid on her bedroll, quickly closing her eyes, only to feel Ikrie’s hands slide over her shoulders. The redhead sighed, cracking her eyes open to find Ikrie before her, a look of concern on her features.  


Anukai offered a small smile, sliding one arm over her side and prompting the dark-haired girl to slide closer, firmly wrapping her arms around the redhead. As Ikrie’s head leaned forward, her face coming to rest against the Anukai’s collarbone, the redhead gently began to run her hand over the other girl’s back, sighing heavily. Just as her eyes slid closed, once again, she felt Ikrie place a gently kiss at the nape of her neck, and the corners of her lips turned up ever so slightly.  


Almost immediately after feeling herself drift off, however, she soon found herself staring at the image of the ancient structure, although it now appeared whole, once again. With a sigh, she hung her head, taking in how she appeared to be sitting on the seat where they had found the body of Elisabet.  


“I know you’ve been here before.”  


The Banuk redhead glanced to her left to find another figure seated beside her. With a sigh, the image of Elisabet glanced over at her.  


“And I’m sorry.”  


“Yeah?”  


“Just because I was—resigned to die,” the older redhead said, taking a deep breath, “doesn’t mean that you should have to relive that moment like… like some kind of nightmare.”  


Anukai let out a short, dry laugh, shaking her head.  


“Yeah, it… it wasn’t a good time.”  


“Kiddo…”  


“Don’t—” Anukai interrupted, closing her eyes for a moment, “don’t talk to me like you know me.”  


When she finally glanced over at the older redhead beside her, she found a dejected expression on her face, and she clenched her jaw, rising from her seat on the bench and beginning to pace forward.  


“It’s because of you,” the younger redhead began, “that I have to question who I even am— _what_ I even am.”  


“I know.”  


“Oh, I’m glad.’  


She whirled around on her heel, facing the older redhead to find her wincing, unable to meet her gaze.  


“Before I set foot in Thunder’s Drum, I knew exactly who I was,” she began, stalking closer and leaning toward Elisabet. “After… I feel like… I’m just chasing some… ghost!”  


“I never wanted—”  


“It doesn’t matter what you want!” Anukai spat, kicking at the sandy ground before her and spinning around to stalk several steps away before coming to a halt, rubbing at her eyes. “It’s what’s happened though.”  


Several long moments of silence followed before the older redhead spoke, again.  


“We can’t change time, Anukai. Aloy already tried and… we’re still here.”  


The Banuk redhead’s gaze fell on the structure before her, yet again taking in the glowing lights from behind its windows, as if someone still lived there, and they had simply stepped out for a moment. Finally, she began to pace before it, passing into one of the pools of light from the nearest window before turning on her heel and reversing direction.  


“Aloy said you and her shared—some kind of bond, but—where does that leave us?”  


Elisabet remained silent for several long moments before finally seeming to relax her posture slightly, prompting Anukai to glance toward her, where the Banuk redhead found her meeting her gaze, once again.  


“I already told you that I care for you—”  


“All that tells me is that you’re from the same—dream or—whatever it was I had when I was—” Anukai trailed off, unable to finish her thought through the lump that had formed in her throat.  


“I talked to you then, yeah,” Elisabet replied, nodding, “and it’s still true. Do you really think all of this is _just_ a dream, by this point?”  


“If it’s not, then I’m going insane!” Anukai spat. “So I certainly hope so!”  


The image of Elisabet flinched, once again, the despondent look on her face tugging at the Banuk redhead’s heart in two different directions. Part of her was begging her to stop, and for a moment, she could almost hear it in a familiar voice… one so like hers, but… not. The other part told her that she was winning.  


And she couldn’t afford to lose.  


“I… I understand that…”  


“Oh, do you?”  


As Anukai began to step toward Elisabet, once again, a hand suddenly grabbed her left shoulder, prompting her to whirl toward it.  


“That’s enough, child.”  


At first, she expected to find Aloy standing before her, however while the redhead to her left was certainly older than her and familiar, something about her was… different.  


“You’re simply allowing yourself to be angry.”  


“Oh?” Anukai seethed, her jaw clenching. “Let me guess, that’s the wrong choice?”  


“I can’t make you feel any sort of way,” the older redhead replied, shaking her head, “but I can tell you that what you’re doing right now isn’t going to bring you to an answer.”  


“And that’s what this is for, is it?” Anukai continued, shrugging the older woman’s hand away as she staggered back a step or two. “To make up my mind, right here, right now?”  


“Of course not,” Elisabet said, beginning to rise from her seat.  


“Then why are we here, then?” the Banuk redhead spat.  


“I… I wanted to talk…”  


“And you can’t just let me sleep?”  


“You… you are…”  


“No, I’m not,” Anukai growled, stalking toward Elisabet and coming to a short stop before her. “If you actually knew anything, you’d know that I’ll wake up from this feeling like I didn’t sleep at all, and I’m about to walk into some—city—that apparently could kill me if I’m not careful. So sorry if I’m not feeling like having a deep conversation with the person I was copied from.”  


Elisabet’s head hung as Anukai caught tears beginning to leak from the corner of her eyes.  


“I’m sorry, Anukai… I-I didn’t mean to…”  


“ _If_ —” the Banuk redhead interjected, her chest heaving, “I want to have this conversation… how about I let you know?”  


Elisabet kept her head bowed, wrapping her arms tightly over her chest as the sound of a heavy sigh came from Anukai’s left prompted her to glance toward the other redhead, finding her standing her hand son her hips, a hard expression on her face.  


“Kiddo, no one here is trying to be your enemy,” she said.  


“I don’t even know you, but you’re not exactly helping me, are you?”  


“How would you know if you won’t let anyone try?”  


Anukai’s eyes widened slightly as she recoiled from the intensity of the retort, only to find herself staring at a field of darkness before her. She blinked several times in quick succession, however the scene didn’t change. Finally, the sensations of warmth from before her and the feeling of arms wrapped around her began to sink in and she sighed, leaning her head forward until it came to rest on the head of dark hair before her.  


Anukai inhaled deeply, taking in the general dusty, sweat-tinged aura that she had come to know lately from the week of nights spent in the bunker. Quickly, the tension in her limbs began to dissolve as she focused on the scent, the warmth, the arms wrapped around her, and she let herself melt into Ikrie’s grip, adjusting her own arms around the other girl.  


As her eyes eventually drift closed, she didn’t find herself facing down a redhead, or a pair of redheads, but yet again memories of a dark-haired huntress in a land buried under snow and ice. Eventually, the memories began to drift back to the last night in the bunker and she felt a warm feeling building in her chest that quickly spread throughout the rest of her.  


Moments later, however, she found her eyes cracking open to the sight of a sunrise in full glory. A deep sigh escaped her as she shifted slightly, noting how Ikrie’s grip had loosened over the course of the night, although her head still rested soundly on Anukai’s shoulder. The redhead squeezed her gently with her right arm, pressing her lips to the crown of the head of dark hair before her for several long moments. As she did, she felt Ikrie begin to stir, only for the dark-haired girl to yawn deeply.  


“Morning…?” she mumbled.  


“Unfortunately.”  


Ikrie sighed, relaxing against Anukai’s side, once again, before gently placing a soft kiss to the side of her neck. The redhead smiled softly, kissing the top of her head several times and prompting the dark-haired girl to laugh softly. Sounds of motion from behind her prompted Anukai to glance to her left. The older women across the long-dead campfire were beginning to stir, as well. The Banuk redhead noted, in particular, how they seemed to have shared one bedroll, as well, during the night, Aloy placed closer to the fire and therefore before Talanah.  


With a sigh, she turned back to Ikrie to find the other girl had lifted her head to look up toward her, a concerned expression on her face.  


“You sleep?” she asked softly.  


Anukai nodded.  


“Well?”  


“Not as well as last night, but…”  


Ikrie grinned sheepishly, prompting Anukai to smirk and lean her head forward to place a kiss against her, quickly dispelling the hints of embarrassment. Finally, when they parted, Ikrie lay her cheek against Anukai’s shoulder, once again, still staring up at her, the corners of her lips pulled upward in a small smile.  


Within a few minutes, both sets of women had begun to firmly rise from their bedrolls, neither seeming particularly eager to get moving, once again. Anukai caught Aloy’s gaze across the campsite, noting how the older redhead seemed to cast her a look that almost seemed… sorrowful… for a moment. Quickly, however, the Banuk redhead turned back to securing her things, rolling her bedroll into its travel state and securing it with its leather strap, once again.  


After a brief breakfast of more tree nuts, dried fruit, and water from one of the canteens, they began to rise from their camp, moving toward their mounts. As Anukai came to a stop beside her Strider, patting its neck, she spared a glance back toward the ancient ruin and the silhouette of the figure on the seat before it. As she did, she noticed a redheaded figure kneeling before the rust- and vine-covered silhouette and her breath hitched for a moment.  


When she glanced around, however, she realized that only three of them stood by the machines, and she heaved a heavy sigh, closing her eyes for a moment before turning back to the ancient ruin and corpse to find the redhead making her way toward them. As Aloy approached, Anukai noted that she was holding something in her hands, turning it over slowly before her. When the Banuk redhead focused on it, she noticed that it appeared to be some kind of small sphere, but Aloy’s fingers quickly closed around it, hiding it from view before slipping the item into one of the pouches on her belt.  


Anukai turned her gaze back to her mount as the older redhead passed, making her way toward her own Strider. Finally, the Banuk redhead pulled herself aboard the machine before her, settling into as comfortable of a riding position as she could manage before sighing and glancing around the group, her gaze coming to rest on Ikrie last. The dark-haired girl happened to glance over at her a moment later, offering a small smile before the sound of Aloy clearing her throat drew both of their attentions.  


“Based on what I can gather from the map GAIA had of this region,” the older redhead began, “we’re getting close to Reva—as in we can most likely reach it easily today.”  


Silence fell over the group as Aloy glanced around at all of them.  


“Without setting a pace like yesterday,” she clarified.  


The Banuk girls nodded, while Anukai noted how Talanah glanced between them and Aloy for a moment.  


“Which way do we go from here?” the younger redhead finally asked.  


Aloy tapped her Focus, glancing around for a moment before pointing in a direction vaguely behind her.  


“North.”  


After another round of silent nods, the group began to turn their machines after Aloy’s gesture. Before spurring her machine onward, however, Anukai spared one last glance toward the ruined structure and the long-frozen figure before it. The younger redhead’s throat tightened slightly as she stared back over the image, before a shiver finally down her spine and she forced herself to focus on the still breathing, still moving women alongside her and urge her Strider forward.  


As they began to move farther into the desert, once again, Anukai carefully positioned herself alongside Aloy’s Strider, working to overcome the tight feeling in her chest until she was finally able to speak.  


“So… Reva…” she finally managed, prompting the older redhead to start slightly at the sound of her voice amidst the near-silence of the Striders’ hooves on the sandy ground. “Do you feel—concerned?”  


Aloy’s lips pulled to one side as she shrugged.  


“I think we need to be careful.”  


“I mean… yes,” Anukai said slowly, “but… people who can work with machines so well that…?”  


She trailed off, but shook her left arm slightly for emphasis.  


“It… it certainly raises a lot of questions,” the older redhead sighed, “but… well, that’s been my life so far, so what’s a few more?”  


Anukai nodded slowly, but fell silent. After a few long moments, the sound of Aloy drawing a deep breath came from beside her.  


“We’re going in there to see if we can find out anything about this Mountain of Ashen Rain and then we’re getting right back out,” she said softly. “Get our answers—move on.”  


“I wasn’t worried about staying,” Anukai laughed softly. “Ara and Vansa didn’t make it sound particularly appealing.”  


Aloy laughed, as well, nodding as Anukai glanced over at her, again.  


“But,” the younger redhead continued, “do you think it will… be like Meridian… or…?”  


The older redhead stared ahead at the desert for a moment, her cheek notably sucked between her teeth as she appeared to contemplate her answer. Finally, she shrugged, glancing over at Anukai, as well.  


“I honestly don’t know what to expect.”  


The rest of the morning passed by in relative silence as they guided their mounts onward, heading toward what seemed to be a valley between several smaller mountain ranges ahead of them. After an hour or so, Anukai happened to glance toward the sides of one of the nearest peaks and noted that the dirt and rock on its side seemed to have a difference consistency for the lower three-quarters, while the top seemed separated by a line etched into the very mountain, itself. The thought that it reminded her of one of the mountains in the cut following an avalanche struck her, but she didn’t note any snow on this particular peak.  


As the ground began to curve upward in a gradual incline, the younger redhead also began to notice how the ground seemed to be growing darker, the Striders’ hooves didn’t quite have the same hollow sound as they had on the sand so far. Just as they reached the top of the incline, they all suddenly brought their mounts to a stop.  


“Well… that might change plans…” Talanah sighed.  


The seeming valley they had been moving toward between the set of mountain ranges lay before them, however the ground, itself, seemed to be covered in a thick layer of mud and rock. Eying the path through it all, Anukai frowned. The Striders had shown themselves to be rather hardy travelers, thus far, but there was no telling exactly how soft or firm the ground was ahead of them, especially while she still noted what looked like streams of water cascading through some of it.  


“The storm…” Aloy sighed, shaking her head.  


“What?”  


“That storm we mentioned?” she glanced over at Anukai. “We weren’t lying, but… well, I’m going to guess that this is a result.”  


The younger redhead frowned, staring down at the terrain before them for several long moments before she sighed heavily.  


“So… what now?”  


Aloy tapped her Focus, staring at the air before her for several long moments, occasionally reaching up to swipe her hand in various directions, until she finally sighed, tapping a particular spot in the air before also tapping the side of her Focus.  


“We go around.”  


“Around?”  


“To the west,” she said. “The storm tracked from the north to the southeast, so hopefully it won’t be quite as—wet—over there.”  


The group exchanged a series of glances before they all seemed to come to an agreement, at the very least because no one else had a better solution to offer. As they began to turn away from the mud-filled valley, Anukai tapped her Focus.  


“GAIA?”  


She waited for several long moments, but no response came, still. With a sigh, she tapped the device beside her ear, glancing over at Ikrie and shrugging.  


“Worth a try.”  


“Still out of range,” Aloy replied, glancing back at her.  


“Do you know where any of these other towers you mentioned are?” Anukai called back.  


“Not exactly, but… well, if their purpose was to broadcast a signal to shut down the Swarm all over the world… they can’t be too far apart.”  


“Also a lot of mountains around here,” Talanah pointed out. “Can block signals if we’re beneath them.”  


Anukai shrugged in response, but didn’t press any further, although she couldn’t help but notice the hair on the back of her neck standing on end. The remainder of the morning passed with the women backtracking part of their original path before moving around what appeared to be either the bottom of a mountain range, or at least a large gap in it. The sun was just about at its highest peak by the time that Anukai felt like they had drawn equal with where they had travelled northward before being turned around.  


To help save time, the group didn’t stop to eat, but simply passed the food and water as best they could while still atop their mounts. As Anukai took a sip from the canteen, she quickly began to realize just how hot the sun felt, even with the cloak pulled over her head. Her skin didn’t feel like it was burning, thankfully, but she was constantly running the back of her gloved hand over her face to try to wick away the rivulets of sweat that poured down it. When she handed the canteen to Ikrie, she felt a small sense of validation when she noted how the other girl seemed just as effected by the heat.  


Just as she was passing the canteen back to Aloy, Talanah suddenly brought her Strider to a halt at the front of the group, raising one hand to indicate for the others to do so, as well. They all quickly complied, coming to a stop as Anukai grew tense, her eyes scanning the horizon before them for what had prompted the Carja to stop so suddenly, but she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary amongst the sand to their left, or the rocky mountainside to their right.  


“What’d you see?” Aloy asked softly.  


Talanah shook her head.  


“Hear.”  


Confusion creased Anukai’s face, but she listened intently for a few moments, pulling the hood of her cloak down to remove the cloth barrier over her ears. Nothing immediately drew her attention, so she glanced back toward Talanah.  


“Hear what?” she managed.  


The Carja remained silent for several long moments before clearing her throat.  


“Machines.”  


Anukai’s heart began to race as one hand began to move toward her bow, Ikrie also reaching for one of her weapons out of the corner of her eye.  


“I thought it was just our Striders echoing off the rocks, but… do you hear that?”  


The Banuk redhead fell still, focusing all of her attention on holding her breath and listening intently. As she did, she began to notice what Talanah had mentioned. Even while their mounts remained still, she swore she could still hear the faint sounds of heavy, mechanical motion. As she listened, however, a new sound joined the fray.  


The sound of a deep, distant boom.  


They all exchanged glances before Talanah and Aloy tapped their Focuses.  


“Whatever it is seems to still be too far away,” the older redhead said.  


“Think we’re being followed?” Talanah replied, glancing over at her.  


Anukai turned in her seat atop her Strider, glancing behind them, but she didn’t see any signs of motion or tell-tale hints of explosions.  


“Don’t think so,” she reported, turning back to the older women.  


“Up ahead,” Ikrie chimed in, pointing to something ahead of them.  


The other women followed her gesture to find the beginnings of what appeared to be black smoke rising from over the top of a bend in the mountain range ahead of them.  


“Do we go back?” Anukai asked softly.  


“We’ll lose an entire day that way,” Aloy replied. “Let’s move ahead, but be ready to cut farther west if need to go around.”  


“You sure?” Ikrie replied, doubt heavy in her tone.  


The older redhead remained silent for a moment or two before taking a deep breath.  


“We’ll stay at a safe distance, from whatever it is.”  


Before the others could argue further, she spurred her Strider onward, effectively ending the discussion. Anukai glanced to Talanah for a moment to find the Carja woman biting her lower lip for a moment, only to eventually sigh and tap her Focus, nodding after Aloy. The Banuk girls slowly began to follow her, the party drawing closer to what appeared to be a collection of boulders that had fallen from much higher up the mountain beside them.  


As they reached the outcropping, the sound of several more loud booms echoed off the mountainside and they came to a stop. They all exchanged glances before guiding their Striders more firmly into cover before slipping off them. The women quickly slunk their way along the pile of boulders until they began to round the side of them, each one drawing their weapons. Talanah remained at the head of the group, keeping one hand on the rock to her right while holding her bow and an arrow in her left.  


Suddenly, she came to a stop and the rest of the group followed suit. The sounds of destruction and machines had grown even louder, but now Anukai was beginning to note another very distinct sound.  


Screams.  


Her jaw began to clench as she gripped her bow tighter, adjusting her crouched position beside the rocks.  


“Can you see what’s going on?” Aloy whispered.  


Talanah shuffled forward another step or two, remaining close to the rocks beside her before nodding.  


“What is it?”  


The Carja remained silent for several long moments before glancing back at the rest of them, confusion creasing her features.  


“Machines… attacking a… some kind of settlement,” she said.  


“Not unheard of…” Anukai muttered.  


“Maybe not, but… it’s what kind of machines.”  


The hair on the back of the Banuk redhead’s neck stood on end as she noted how Aloy similarly bristled. A moment later, the older redhead had slipped forward, moving beside Talanah and glancing around the side of the rocks, as well. As she did, she froze, her hands instantly curling into fists beside her.  


“How?” she suddenly said, glancing at Talanah beside her. “I used the Master Override, and… GAIA didn’t report any…”  


“I know,” the Carja nodded. “I have no idea, either.”  


“What is it?” Anukai asked, shuffling closer, as well, craning her neck to try to see around Aloy.  


The older redhead moved aside, allowing Anukai a view of whatever she and Talanah had seen. As the Banuk girl leaned forward, she finally was able to see what had apparently caused such a reaction from the older women.  


As Talanah had described, she could make out a small settlement farther along the mountain range ahead of them, complete with a wall built around it and the tops of buildings just visible inside. Around the settlement, however, skittered several jet-black machines. Two of them appeared to be the larger versions of the machines that had taken the Banuk redhead’s arm, their tails whipping about and striking at the walls as the large drums attached to the sides of their bodies spun, launching bright red projectiles into the buildings before them.  


Somewhat farther away from the settlement, however, stood one of the other, even larger machines she remembered from the bunker, bristling with weapons and built like a tower of sheer metal supported on four legs that looked as sturdy as the mountain beside them. As she watched, two panels on the front of it popped open, only for a hail of projectiles to suddenly launch from inside them, streaking into the settlement and sending bursts of flame and debris into the air.  


The booms from the explosions echoed off the rocks beside the traveling women a second or two later.  


Finally, Anukai’s attention was drawn to the last of the machines attacking the settlement. At first glance, they seemed to be two Sawtooths or Ravagers, but as one of them moved onto the side of the settlement closest to her, she realized something was different about it. The armor plating was darker, like the larger machines from her nightmares, and she noted how it appeared to have some kind of razor sharp blades fixed to the outside of its legs. The cannon atop its body led her to believe it was a Ravager, but she was quickly beginning to doubt it was truly any machine she had actually seen before.  


“It’s machines like from the bunker,” she breathed, glancing back at the older women to find Ikrie had moved up behind her, craning her neck over her back to see, as well.  


Talanah and Aloy nodded as the dark-haired Banuk lowered herself into cover, once again, turning to them, as well.  


“Out here, though?” Anukai continued. “I thought… those were all left behind?”  


“They were,” Talanah confirmed, “and so were these, likely.”  


“But… they only moved in that bunker when the signal—”  


Anukai suddenly stopped short, her eyes widening.  


“The signal that must have come from—”  


“Reva,” Aloy finished, nodding, “or through it, at least.”  


“Through it?”  


“GAIA said that very original signal that attacked her came from this Mountain of Ashen Rain, seemingly,” the older redhead explained before glancing toward the machines and nodding. “Something tells me that with Reva having such strong ties to it, those machines must have come from Reva. They must have a way to receive it or—at least channel it—too.”  


Anukai drew a deep breath, glancing back toward the settlement as she noted how the smoke billowing from it had grown much thicker and darker.  


“So… do we do anything?”  


A few moments passed before a heavy sigh sounded from behind her.  


“We can’t.”  


Anukai’s jaw clenched tightly as yet another round of screams rose in the distance, one of the skittering, black machines suddenly knocking down part of the outer wall with its tail and charging into the settlement, itself. A hand appeared on her shoulder, prompting her to glance back to see Ikrie beside her, a conflicted look on her face. The redhead’s lips pulled into a thin line as she turned back to Aloy to find she had taken a seat on the ground, her bow held loosely before her.  


“We’re only four people against those machines that have already destroyed most of that settlement,” the older redhead sighed. “We wouldn’t stand a chance, and we certainly wouldn’t be any help, now.”  


Anukai remained crouched for several moments, her jaw working as she stared at the ground between them, only to finally sigh and fall to a seated position, as well. Ikrie took a seat next to her, one hand quickly seeking out the redhead’s, the dark-haired girl’s fingers quickly threading between hers. Anukai squeezed her hand tightly, in response, but otherwise remained still and silent.  


The logical part of her argued that Aloy was right, that it would do no one any good for them to charge in amidst the assault of the machines, when the battle was quite clearly lost, already. The other part of her, however, seemed to be fueling the great, empty feeling in her chest.  


It wasn’t the first time she had seen a loss of life.  


She had caused it before.  


The attackers who tried to kill Koluk.  


Bandit gangs.  


The Eclipse.  


The world.  


Anukai squeezed her eyes shut tightly as her head bowed, her knees pulling in toward her chest, her left arm wrapping around them while Ikrie’s hand remained around her right. After only a few more minutes, the sounds of death and destruction had died down, leaving only the heavy, mechanical sounds of the machines and something that almost sounded like the echoing of a raging river.  


When the Banuk redhead finally forced her eye open, she lifted her head from her knees, glancing toward the settlement to find the attackers regrouping before it, seemingly rallying around the tower-like one to survey their work. After several long moments without any sort of attack, they began to turn and move away from the settlement, heading away from the mountains and farther into the desert.  


“They’re leaving,” Anukai croaked.  


The rest of the group remained silent for several more moments, watching the machines retreat, the modified Ravagers and the pitch-black machines, the name Corruptors coming to the Banuk redhead from somewhere in the back of her mind, led the way, moving faster than the towering machine, but not allowing too much of a gap between them.  


“They’re heading north,” Talanah commented.  


“Reva’s just about due north,” Aloy replied.  


As Anukai turned back to the older women, she found them both with expressions somewhere between confusion and concern on their faces.  


“Returning home?” the Carja asked softly.  


The older redhead sighed, shifting her position and twisting her back with a grimace.  


“That’s my guess.”  


After another few minutes, during which the machines put a considerable distance between themselves and the settlement, Aloy sighed heavily and began to rise to her feet.  


“So, we follow them?” Anukai asked, glancing up at her as she began to release her hold from around her legs.  


“Eventually,” the older redhead nodded, offering a hand to Talanah to help pull her to her feet. “Let’s see if there’s anything we can learn from their target.”  


“Now you want to go into the settlement?” the younger redhead snapped, feeling Ikrie squeeze her hand insistently beside her.  


“Anukai, we need everything we can get before just walking into Reva,” the older redhead replied, “especially if they’ve got machines like those at their beck and call. You’re not the only one who hurt watching that happen.”  


The younger redhead’s jaw clenched tightly, but she remained silent as Ikrie gently released her hand, pulling herself to her feet before offering it to Anukai, once again. The redhead took it, dragging herself to her feet, as well. As soon as she was standing, the dark-haired girl wrapped her arms around her, leaning her face into the crook of her neck.  


Anukai watched Aloy and Talanah begin to move back toward their Striders before sighing and returning the embrace, leaning her head beside Ikrie’s, as well. One of the dark-haired girl’s hands ran gently over her back for several long moments before she turned her head, placing a soft kiss against her throat, just below the hinge of her jaw.  


A moment later, they pulled apart, Anukai offering a weak smile to the other girl before they both turned and began to follow after the older women. When they reached their mounts, they holstered their weapons, once again, and climbed aboard the machines. The four women exchanged wordless glances before Aloy led the way, spurring her Strider onward around the rocky outcropping they had used for cover.  


Once they were out in the open, Anukai eyed the backs of the retreating machines warily, watching for any signs of them doubling back. When they reached the destroyed outer wall of the settlement a minute or two later, the attackers had shown no signs of returning, so the younger redhead instead turned her attention to the destruction ahead of them.  


Somehow, the rest of the wall beside the single portion she had seen the Corruptor destroy was still standing, although she noted how large chunks appeared to have been taken out of several other locations along it.  


“What are we looking for here, exactly?” she asked, beginning to slide off her mount as the others did the same.  


“Some kind of clue as to why those machines would attack this place out in the middle of nowhere,” Aloy replied, drawing her bow, but noting the younger redhead’s questioning look. “We still have to be careful, Anukai.”  


The younger redhead sighed, drawing her own weapon and nocking an arrow to it before falling in beside Ikrie as they moved through the wreckage of the destroyed wall. Once inside the settlement, it became clear how effectively the machines had carried out their attack. Remnants of buildings littered the ground, but little was still standing.  


Anukai noted several burnt and charred shapes littered about the ground and her jaw clenched tightly as the noted that they looked like silhouettes.  


Many of the remaining structures were still on fire, as well, quickly eating up many of their hopes of finding anything resembling actual evidence. The thought that it was most likely the machines’ goal crossed her mind, but Anukai otherwise remained silent. Eventually, after they had combed most of the former settlement, but found little of use, the group seemed more or less primed to call off the search. Just as Anukai was about to turn back to the opening where they had entered, she caught sight of motion amidst some of the nearby rubble and raised her bow tentatively.  


When she approached the signs of motion, she noted that it appeared to be trapped beneath some debris from a nearby building. She glanced around to find Talanah also approaching, the younger redhead nodding toward the motion and prompting the Carja to slide her bow over her shoulders and step forward toward the chunk of wood paneling. As she pulled it aside, Anukai held her bow ready, only to lower it when her gaze fell on what was beneath the debris.  


A man lay on his back, shaking and writhing slightly in pain as his eyes slowly lifted toward them. He didn’t look burned or singed, but Anukai noted that something dark still seemed to cover his exposed abdomen. As the Banuk redhead slowly crouched over him, Talanah signaled for the others to approach.  


“Y-you… he managed, eyes locking with Anukai’s. “I’ve… seen you… before.”  


The redhead’s blood turned to ice in her veins as her pulse began to pound in her ears. Before she could say anything, the other two joined them, prompting the man to glance around at them, as well, his gaze resting on Aloy.  


“A-another…?”  


The older redhead glanced down at Anukai for a moment before quickly crouching beside her.  


“What do you mean _another_?” she asked.  


The man groaned, squirming uncomfortably as Anukai’s gaze travelled from his face to his abdomen, again. She quickly realized what coated it, that she had seen before: blood, but—something was wrong with it. The liquid that poured from an obvious wound in his stomach was nearly black, and unnaturally so. As the redhead’s gaze moved away from the wound, itself, she noted how the skin around it was incredibly pale, allowing her to see a darker coloration building beneath it.  


“A-another…” the man began, staring up at Aloy, once again, “like you.”  


“Another woman with red hair?” she pressed.  


“Y-yes…”  


Aloy glanced over at Anukai, the younger redhead’s lips pulled into a thin line.  


“Ara?” she asked softly.  


Anukai shrugged, turning back to the man.  


“Was she from the south?”  


The man shook his head.  


“North… came… came south…”  


Confusion creased both redhead’s faces as they turned to each other again.  


“Either Ara lied to us, or…” Aloy trailed off.  


A moment of silence fell over them, again, before Anukai swallowed heavily.  


“ _Another_.”  


Aloy’s jaw set firmly before she turned back to the man on the ground.  


“She wasn’t here, was she?”  


“No,” the man groaned, one hand feebly reaching toward the wound in his stomach before letting out a cry of pain. “She… was looking for… Reva… a-and… city on… the coast…”  


Anukai’s pulse was pounding so loudly in her ears that she worried she couldn’t actually hear anything the man was saying, but it didn’t lessen when she glanced toward his wound, once again. Her eyes widened as she noticed that it appeared to have grown larger, revealing more flesh beneath the skin that also appeared to have turned a dark black.  


“Must be… must’ve found out… why… they came…”  


“The machines?”  


The man nodded, letting out a cry of pain as he placed one hand over his wound, once again. As he did, Anukai noted how the dark discolorations she had seen under the skin on his stomach seemed to be forming on his fingers, as well.  


“Sent… to kill… us…”  


“Aloy, what is that?” Talanah interjected, pointing to the coloration on the man’s hands.  


The older redhead turned her gaze from his face to where the Carja had pointed, frowning.  


“It doesn’t look like corruption,” she muttered. “He doesn’t look burned.”  


“No, he looks…”  


“Like he’s rotting,” Anukai supplied.  


The man let out another cry of pain as the younger redhead noted the same dark discolorations spreading up his neck, moving toward his face.  


“From… machines…” he managed, only for Anukai to note how the veins at the edges of his eyes seemed to be turning black as his gaze grew more unfocused. “Don’t… touch…”  


The group of four women slowly backed away from the man as his motions slowly ceased, the dark discolorations still continuing to form under his skin as Anukai noted how she swore she could see his bones more clearly against his skin.  


“Rotting from the inside,” she spat, a strong shiver running down her spine.  


A gagging sound came from her right and she glanced over to find Ikrie turned away, doubled over just before she vomited. Anukai quickly moved over to her, placing a hand on her back as the dark-haired girl heaved, again. A moment later, she let out a heavy sigh, running the back of her hand across her mouth.  


“You okay?” the redhead asked insistently.  


“Yeah, just… not something I want to see…” she sighed, straightening up and judiciously keeping the redhead between herself and the image of the rapidly deteriorating corpse behind her. “Guess you’ve got a stronger stomach.”  


Anukai frowned, gently bringing both hands to rest alongside Ikrie’s face.  


“You didn’t touch him or… get anything on you, right?”  


The dark-haired girl shook her head.  


“No, I didn’t get it,” she said. “Just… just normal.”  


Anukai sighed, leaning her head forward until their foreheads touched, running her right thumb over Ikrie’s cheek before releasing her and turning back to the older women.  


“Come on,” Aloy said, nodding toward their exit. “I don’t think there’s anything else to see here.”  


Anukai nodded, keeping Ikrie to her left as they began to follow. The redhead spared one final glance toward the body of the man they had just spoken to, only to quickly turn away when she noted how the skin stretched too tightly over his skull and his eyes had all but entirely sunken into it, as well.  


When they finally exited the settlement, they all stopped beside their mounts, but didn’t climb aboard, instead turning to face each other in a small circle.  


“Well, we learned something…” Anukai sighed.  


The others nodded, remaining silent for several long moments before Aloy broke it, once again.  


“There’s another…”  


Anukai’s lips drew into a thin line, nodding.  


“I’ve never been here, so it can’t have been me,” she said softly.  


“Another… like Ara…” Talanah said slowly, also sparing a glance toward Anukai, “but she was after a city on the coast… that has to be the Mountain, right?”  


“So it would seem,” Aloy replied, rubbing at her eyes tiredly, “and now we know that whoever lives there is willing to kill people who come into contact with people who look like us.”  


She gestured to herself and Anukai.  


“But… why?” Ikrie asked. “The machines can’t ask them where someone went, so… so they must know where she is.”  


“But they don’t want anyone else to,” Talanah finished, nodding.  


Silence fell over them for several long moments before Aloy sighed, once again.  


“Well… looks like we really aren’t just walking straight into Reva, at this point.”  


The rest of the group nodded solemnly, but remained silent. After several long moments of the still, heavy silence, Aloy began to turn to climb aboard her mount.  


“So, we’re still going?” Ikrie asked.  


“At this point,” the older redhead sighed, settling into a seat on the machine’s back, “I think we’ve come a little too far to turn back.”  


“At this point we might need an army…” the dark-haired girl sighed, hanging her head slightly.  


“Four of us can move quickly and unnoticed,” the older redhead replied, glancing around at the other three. “We just take this carefully and keep our heads down, and we get in and out.”  


“What exactly are you hoping to find in Reva, at this point?” Anukai asked, her jaw working as she glanced up at the older redhead.  


Aloy sighed, leaning forward against her Strider’s neck for a moment.  


“I want to know more about this city on the coast,” she said. “Then we can hopefully know what we’re walking into before we get there.”  


Talanah nodded, while the Banuk girls remained still for a moment or two longer. Eventually, Anukai’s lips pulled into a thin line as she gave a curt nod, turning to climb aboard her mount, as well. Once they had all settled onto their machines, Anukai glanced toward the trail of disturbed sand leading away from the settlement before glancing back at Aloy, once again.  


“Think they went back to Reva?”  


“Would make sense,” the older redhead nodded.  


“So, we follow?”  


“Carefully.”  


Aloy and Talanah once again took the lead of the group as they guided their Striders after the tracks leading farther into the open sands, away from the mountain range. Anukai and Ikrie followed behind them, but at a short distance, allowing them to converse softly.  


“There’s another… _me_ … another Ara?” the redhead said softly.  


“That’s what it sounds like,” Ikrie nodded.  


“How… how many… do you think there are of— _us_ —then?”  


The dark-haired girl sighed, reaching over to Anukai’s side and gripping her left hand.  


“I think there’s only one of you,” she said, shaking the redhead’s hand slightly.  


Anukai laughed, glancing over to find Ikrie grinning back at her. They fell silent as they continued after the older women ahead of them, the tracks in the sand from the machines easy to follow, even if by this point they had become only a cloud of dust on the horizon.  


The afternoon passed rather uneventfully, but much slower than their morning, as they were forced to maintain a slower pace than before to keep a safe distance between themselves and the machines. Anukai’s eyes constantly returned to their images ahead of them, always checking to make sure one or two hadn’t broken off from the rest and begun to grow larger.  


After several hours, Anukai had quickly begun to lose track of how far they should have been from Reva, but something began to tell her that they should have been getting close, by Aloy’s projections. With a look of concern, she glanced toward Ikrie before clearing her throat.  


“Shouldn’t we have reached Reva by now?” she called up to Aloy ahead of them.  


The older women both glanced back at her before slowing their mounts until the Banuk girls had reached them.  


“She’s right,” Talanah said. “The maps didn’t make it look this far.”  


Aloy frowned, tapping her Focus and staring at the air before them for several moments before frowning.  


“We’re not moving north anymore,” she said.  


“What? Where are we going?”  


“East.”  


“East? Why?”  


The older redhead sighed, throwing her arms into the air.  


“No idea.”  


Anukai frowned, as well, glancing toward the image of the dust cloud they had been following before her eyes widened and she pointed, drawing the others’ attention instantly. The cloud had noticeably begun to split, with one remaining ahead of them, the other curving to their left.  


“Coming back?” Talanah asked, her hands noticeably tensing around her Strider’s wires.  


They all remained still and silent for several long moments, watching the clouds separate further, but neither truly seemed to be growing any larger.  


“Don’t think so…” Aloy said slowly.  


“They’re splitting up,” Anukai suggested.  


The women all exchanged glances before Talanah spoke again, one eyebrow raised.  


“One set to Reva, one to somewhere else?”  


“What else is out here?” Ikrie asked.  


“Another settlement?”  


“They stopped.”  


The group glanced toward Anukai for a moment before turning back to the clouds of dust in the distance, noting that the one straight ahead of them had noticeably begun to settle, while the other, to the left, seemed to continue trailing farther into the distance.  


“So… which do we follow?”  


Everyone turned to Aloy, once again, as her jaw worked tensely, her gaze switching between the two groups before she sighed.  


“To the one straight ahead,” she nodded. “From there we can pick up the trail of the others.”  


“Not just cut across to them?” Ikrie asked, gesturing to the separate group.  


“We don’t know exactly what’s between us and them,” Aloy replied, glancing over at her. “There might be a reason they took the path they did.”  


No further arguments were made, so the group resumed their path, moving ahead along the trail of machine footprints they had been following. Anukai found the hair on the back of her neck raising as the thought that they no longer had a gauge for how close they were to the machines floated through the back of her mind, but she pushed it aside, instead focusing for signs of the machines’ silhouettes, themselves, to appear against the horizon.  


After another hour or so of traveling, she began to notice several small, dark pinpricks against the beige haze of the desert and she cleared her throat.  


“Up ahead.”  


The others nodded, noticing them, as well.  


“No cover out here,” Talanah muttered.  


Aloy nodded, suddenly gesturing for them all to stop, prompting the others to turn to her in surprise.  


“You’ve got a point,” she said, gesturing to Talanah and snapping her fingers softly. “Out here, in this sun, they’ll see us coming from miles away.”  


“If they haven’t already,” Anukai interjected.  


Aloy’s jaw clenched for a moment before she swallowed heavily.  


“We haven’t seen them move, yet,” she countered. “The question is, though, do we wait until dark?”  


The rest of the group shifted slightly, glancing around at each other.  


“You want to just… wait here?” Talanah said slowly. “Lose hours?”  


“If what we’re dealing with is like those machines,” Aloy countered, “then maybe we need to be slower, more cautious.”  


The Carja spared a dubious glance at her before sighing and turning to the Banuk girls.  


“What do you two think?”  


Anukai and Ikrie exchanged glances before the dark-haired girl nodded toward the redhead.  


“Seems like we wait,” Anukai sighed, turning back to the older women.  


With that, the group dismounted from their Striders, guiding them to a spot slightly away from the disturbed sand of the machines’ trail. As they did, Aloy and Talanah guided their machines to sit on the ground, prompting Anukai and Ikrie to try, as well, but to no avail. Laughing, the older women took their mounts’ wires and did the same, bringing the machines into a line on the ground that allowed them to sit against their sides, the Striders helping to at least partially block the sun from behind them as it began to sink toward the distant horizon.  


“Get some rest, if you can,” Aloy sighed, pulling the hood of her cloak more firmly over her face before turning to lie sideways.  


Talanah quickly slid beside her, prompting the older redhead to reposition herself so her head rested in the Carja’s lap. Anukai smirked before she felt something fall onto her leg, as well, and she glanced down to find Ikrie mimicking the pose, glancing up at her with a grin. The redhead smirked and shook her head, but simply reached down to gently run her fingers over the dark-haired girl’s cheek.  


Not long after settling against the Strider’s side, adjusting the hood of her cloak to make sure her head and face was covered, Anukai felt her own eyes drifting closed under the warm haze cast by the desert sun. Almost just as soon as she sank into the feeling, she felt something shaking her shoulder and she blinked herself awake.  


At first, she thought she had fallen into another dream, as she stared at a much darker landscape before her, but as she turned to her left, toward the source of the shaking, she found Aloy kneeling beside her, a smirk on her lips.  


“Nap time’s over, kid,” she said.  


Anukai nodded, groaning softly as she began to shift and stretch. When she glanced down at her lap, she still found Ikrie soundly asleep atop it. A small smile tugged at the redhead’s lips as she carefully brushed the side of the dark-haired girl’s hood back, trailing her fingers through her hair. Ikrie began to stir, her lips pulling back in a smile, as well, before she rolled more onto her back, her eyes blinking open to stare up at Anukai.  


“Good morning,” the redhead teased.  


“Morning?”  


Anukai laughed softly as Ikrie made a show of pouting, but began to lift herself from the redhead’s lap. As she did, she arched her back, groaning softly.  


“Sleep well?”  


Ikrie sighed, glancing over at her.  


“You make a good pillow.”  


“As if you haven’t been using me like one for days now,” Anukai retorted, smirking.  


Ikrie’s face began to turn a dark crimson, but the redhead simply laughed and leaned in to place a quick kiss on her.  


“Never said I minded, though.”  


The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes as Anukai attempted to stand, but Ikrie pulled her back down to steal another kiss against her. Once they were finally both on their feet, once again, they attempted to beat the sand off their clothing, Ikrie shaking some out of her hair, as well.  


When Anukai glanced over toward Aloy, she found the older redhead standing with her fingers perched near her Focus, her gaze fixed on the horizon beyond their Striders.  


“See anything?”  


The older redhead glanced over at her before sighing and tapping her Focus, the light from around its triangular shape fading, once again.  


“No, but I also don’t think they got any closer, so I suppose that’s good.”  


Anukai nodded, glancing toward the horizon, as well, before turning back to the group. They were able to rouse their machines from their resting positions on the ground with considerably less trouble than it had taken to lay them down, and once they were back on their feet, as well, the women climbed aboard.  


“We’ll get as close as we can with the mounts,” Aloy said, glancing around at everyone, “and then we’ll go on foot. Their lights will draw too much attention, otherwise.”  


The group nodded, before beginning to follow after the older redhead. As they made their way along the trail of darker, disturbed sand toward where they had last seen the dust cloud settle, Anukai kept a close eye on the point on the horizon where she remembered the machines stopping, earlier. Soon after they had set out into the night, however, she began to notice small points of light ahead of them, and her hands instinctually tightened around her mount’s wires.  


“Don’t look like machine lights,” Aloy said, clearly noting the younger redhead’s change in demeanor.  


“What, then?”  


“Some kind of camp.”  


Anukai frowned.  


“Doesn’t look like campfires.”  


“Not campfires,” Aloy replied, shaking her head. “Artificial, like those lights you saw in Meridian.”  


They fell silent as they continued onward, keeping a close eye on the lights as they grew brighter and larger, until Aloy finally signaled for the group to come to a stop.  


“That’s as close as we go with the Striders,” she said. “Let’s get them down like before, make sure they face away from whatever’s up ahead.  


With that, the group dismounted and the older women led their machines to a similar resting position on the ground, their backs turned toward the lights ahead of them. Once their Striders were taken care of, they turned back to the Banuk girls, sighing.  


“So… by foot we go.”  


With that, they began to make their way across the darkened sands, drawing ever closer to the lights in the distance. The going was slower than with the Striders, but within a half hour or so, more details became visible about their destination. As Aloy had said, the lights appeared to be coming from structures in a small camp, the buildings all made of metal, it seemed, but they looked more like the bandit camps Anukai had occasionally come across in the Cut: pieced together out of pieces of things that came before. The lights were coming from bright points that seemed fixed along the sides and roofs of the various buildings, but Anukai’s eyes tried to stare past them, looking for signs of what had led them to the camp, in the first place.  


Just as they were beginning to draw within a distance where she began to see movement along some of the buildings, she finally caught sight of a different glint of the artificial light against metal, and she tapped Aloy’s shoulder, pointing. The older redhead followed her gesture before nodding.  


“It’s those Ravager things,” Anukai said softly.  


“Whatever they are…” Aloy confirmed.  


The Banuk redhead took a deep breath, but continued following after Aloy as they began to move around the side of the camp, trying to get a better look at the machines. The radius of light cast by the artificial lamps was rather broad, leaving them still at a fair distance from the camp, itself, although even from this far away, it was clear that the machines appeared to be in a sort of resting, powered-down state. What drew Anukai’s attention the most, however, were the signs of people walking about the camp, seemingly undeterred by the large machines only feet away from them.  


“Those people and the machines,” she said quietly, glancing over at Aloy, “they’re working together?”  


The older redhead’s jaw clenched as she nodded.  


“Seem to be.”  


Aloy exchanged a quick glance with Talanah before the group came to a stop, crouching in the middle of the dark, open ground and huddling into a tight group.  


“Some of the machines came here,” Aloy whispered, “and it looks like these people might be who sent them.”  


“Okay… so we just assume they’re with Reva?”  


“Perhaps, but… the point of coming here was to see if we can learn what we’re walking into,” Aloy continued.  


“Wait… you want to… get in there?” Ikrie hissed.  


“We need information.”  


The dark-haired girl glanced to Anukai, but she simply gave her a tight-lipped expression in return. When Ikrie turned to Talanah, she let out a sigh, noting that she appeared to be outnumbered.  


“We split into groups of two,” Aloy continued. “Look for anything that could be used to give any sort of clues as to who they are, or how they’re working with the machines.”  


“What would have that kind of information?” Anukai asked.  


“Use your Focus,” Talanah suggested, pointing to hers. “It can scan objects that contain information.”  


“Like those boxes you saw in my study back in Meridian,” Aloy interjected, drawing a tight-lipped look from Anukai. “They won’t always look exactly like that, but it gives you the idea.”  


With that, the older women split off and began to circle around the far side of the camp, while Anukai and Ikrie looked for their entrance closest to them. There were no actual walls around the camp, as a whole, but the bright lights did enough to provide security, Anukai reasoned.  


“How are we even going to get close?” Ikrie whispered.  


The redhead scanned over the buildings nearest them before nodding toward the one that appeared to be the only multi-story structure in the entire camp. One figure was visible on the outside of the structure, at the ground level, while one more was visible in the upper level, but his back was turned to the outside windows.  


“Looks important,” she muttered.  


“But exposed.”  


“Other than that one down there,” Anukai nodded to the figure on the ground level, “do you see anyone else?”  


The dark-haired girl paused for a moment before shaking her head.  


“So we move quickly.”  


With a heavy sigh, Ikrie adjusted her position, braced to take off across the open ground, like Anukai. Taking a deep breath, the redhead counted to three, and the girls took off toward the building. They remained as low as they could to the ground, while trying to minimize the sound of their pounding feet, as well. The distance was slightly farther than Anukai had guessed, and her heart began to pound even harder as she felt as if they would be seen at any moment.  


Finally, however, they skidded to a halt against the side of the metal structure, just behind where the figure had rounded the corner moments ago. They remained still for several long moments before the sound of his footsteps drawing closer reached Anukai. Almost as if watching herself from a distance, the redhead found her hand drawing her hunting knife from her belt, moving up to the corner just before the figure rounded it. His eyes met hers for a moment, widening in surprise, before she quickly stepped forward, rising from her half-crouched position to drive the knife into his side, just between two of his ribs.  


The redhead quickly slipped her hand over his mouth as his muffled cry of alarm and pain was just barely caught against the gloved fingers of her left hand. A moment later, her right hand had pulled the knife from his side, only to draw it swiftly across his throat. The red line that formed behind her blade quickly began to spill more and more blood until the collar of his tunic was soaked with it. Anukai kept her hand over his mouth until the man’s eyes finally seemed to roll back in his head and she felt his body go limp against the building.  


Carefully, she lowered him to the ground before wiping both sides of her knife on the back of his tunic and sheathing it, once again. When she glanced back to Ikrie, she found the dark-haired girl staring at her with an unreadable expression on her face. Anukai paused, a shiver running down her spine as she glanced down at the still body, now quickly forming a vermilion pool beneath it, beside her.  


Finally, after swallowing heavily, she glanced back up at Ikrie and waved for her to follow. The other huntress did, but carefully skirted around the body. As they moved along the side of the building, they came to a stop at the next corner, both pressing their backs against the wall before the redhead carefully leaned around the metal construction.  


The center of the camp appeared to be another wide open space between the makeshift buildings, bathed in the same harsh, artificial light as was pointed out into the desert. There were not many other figures or signs of motion from the rest of the camp, although Anukai noted that several voices seemed to drift from the building directly across from them, the sound almost reminiscent of the dining hall from the bunker.  


With a quick scan of the courtyard, once again, Anukai carefully leaned around the corner further, noting that a door to the current building was set into the wall just a few yards ahead of them.  


“Door, just along this corner,” she muttered to Ikrie, glancing back at her. “Make a break for it. Stay quiet.”  


The dark-haired girl nodded, tensing, as Anukai turned back to the corner, taking a deep breath before nodding and slipping around it. She kept her back to the metal surface, constantly scanning the ground beside her for signs of motion while listening for cries of alarm, but none came. Moments later, she reached the door and carefully pushed it open, slipping inside just as Ikrie took it from behind her, following suit.  


Once in the building, they both glanced around, hands held close to their weapons, however the room appeared to be empty. With a soft sigh of relief, Anukai began to creep forward, her eyes scanning about the various stacks of what seemed to be junk littered about the benches before them. After perusing them for a moment or two, she paused.  


“These look like… consoles,” she breathed, glancing back at Ikrie.  


The other girl nodded, frowning as she leaned down to look at some kind of glass square on one of the nearby tables. As she waved her hand over it, a square of light suddenly appeared over it, prompting both of them to jump. Anukai quickly tapped her Focus, moving over to Ikrie and leaning toward it, as well. The box was covered in a numerous series of glyphs that she couldn’t read, prompting both girls to frown.  


“How can we know if this is what we need if we can’t read it?” Ikrie whispered.  


“I had the same thought.”  


With that, they left the device behind, instead making their way farther along the rows of benches, but everything appeared to be more of the same. Finally, Anukai sighed, turning back to Ikrie and shaking her head.  


“Nothing down here we can use,” she whispered before pointing to a nearby ladder.  


“Someone’s up there,” the dark-haired huntress reminded her.  


“Sort of what I was counting on.”  


Ikrie stared back at her for several moments before realization dawned on her and she swallowed nervously.  


“But if he sees us… that’s a problem.”  


“We’ll be long gone before he can tell anyone,” Anukai said, placing a hand on Ikrie’s shoulder.  


“You mean… like…?”  


The redhead’s lips drew into a thin line as she shook her head.  


“No, not like him,” she said softly. “I… let’s just get what we came here for and leave.”  


Ikrie wore her unreadable expression for another moment before nodding. Anukai released her shoulder and made her way over toward the ladder. With a glance toward the top, she could only see the square opening that led to the upper floor, but she couldn’t see the man they had spotted from outside.  


With a deep breath, she made sure her hood was pulled over her head before beginning to climb the ladder as quietly as possible. Every time the sound of her boot striking the metal ladder echoed about the space, the hair on the back of her neck raised further. As soon as she reached the top, she carefully peeked over the edge, finding the figure they had seen earlier bent over one of the benches covered in console equipment, his back to her.  


“Finally, thought the shift change would never come.”  


Anukai swallowed nervously before beginning to drag herself onto the platform with the man as he began to straighten up, letting out a groan.  


“Pups just came back, so you can feel free to run diagnostics—”  


As the man turned around, he came face-to-face with Anukai and paused, confusion creasing his brow.  


“You’re not who’s supposed to be up here,” he said.  


Without another word, however, Anukai suddenly grabbed the man’s arm, sweeping her right leg behind his and pulling it from under him. With a yelp of surprise, the man quickly fell to the floor, flat on his back, as the redhead braced her knee on his chest, quickly sliding one hand over his mouth.  


“Not a word, unless I tell you,” she panted, glancing up and nodding as Ikrie carefully climbed over the top of the ladder and knelt beside Anukai.  


When the redhead glanced back down at the man, he nodded, his eyes wide.  


“Are those machines yours?”  


The man hesitated for a moment before nodding.  


“Do you have ties to the city of Reva?”  


The captive stared up at her with slightly narrowed eyes for a moment before Anukai unsheathed her hunting knife, holding it alongside the man’s face and prompting his eyes to widen, again.  


“Yes or no,” she growled.  


The man nodded quickly.  


“Did you command those machines to attack a settlement south of here?”  


His eyes glanced toward her knife, for a moment, before he nodded.  


“Did that command come from Reva?”  


The man hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. Anukai paused, her head tilting to the side slightly in contemplation before she glanced over at Ikrie.  


“Did it come from a city on the coast? At the Mountain of Ashen Rain?”  


The captive’s eyes widened considerably, prompting Anukai to nod.  


“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said. “Did it come through Reva to here, though?”  


When the man remained still for several moments, Anukai began to lean her knee into his chest more, turning the blade of her knife so that the sharp side began to press against his skin. Carefully, the man nodded, eyes now locked on the weapon, once again.  


“I have a few more questions, but they’re going to need more than yes or no answers,” Anukai said. “If you try to send out any kind of alert…”  


She pressed the blade gently against the side of the man’s face for a moment, pulling it back slightly as he nodded. Slowly, the redhead removed her hand from over his mouth, but drew the knife closer to his throat. Now that she was able to see his entire face, she quickly realized that the man couldn’t have been much older than her, if at all. His hair was shaved close to his head, and his face showed hints of stubble, but still retained certain boyish qualities.  


It was not the face of a hardened killer.  


“Tell me about Reva,” she said softly.  


“W-what about it?”  


“What is it? How did it come to be?” Anukai pressed. “All I’ve heard is that it’s rebuilt from an ancient one, but that people there can build machines, like yours outside, or this…”  


Her knee remained firmly on the man’s chest as she raised her knife to pull back the sleeve of her cloak until the metal portion of her arm above the end of her glove was just visible. The man’s eyes widened as he stared at it before turning back to her.  


“And you’re… you’re not from there?” he said.  


“No, but I’ve been told I should visit,” Anukai quipped, returning the knife to the side of the man’s face. “So… what can you tell me?”  


“I-it—you’re right,” he began, “it’s built from an ancient city. Built it up new, out of the rust.”  


“Who did? The people who run it now?”  


“They—they’re linked to him, but they came after.”  


Anukai and Ikrie exchanged glances before the redhead leaned in toward the man, again.  


“Who’s _him_?”  


“S-some… I don’t know, some god-king, people seem to call him,” he said. “Some… pharaoh… l-like ancient times.”  


Confusion creased the redhead’s face as she leaned away from the man, again.  


“God-king?” she repeated, glancing over at Ikrie.  


“Like that Sun King?” the dark-haired girl replied.  


Anukai’s jaw worked tensely for a moment before she shook her head.  


“Something tells me not quite…”  


With that, she turned back to the man, causing him to recoil slightly.  


“Is he still in Reva?”  


“N-no,” he shook his head carefully, “he’s… supposedly on the coast… that city… the n-new Capitol… at the Mountain…”  


“He built that one, too?”  


“From what I know, y-yeah.”  


Anukai tapped the side of the knife against the man’s face for a moment before clearing her throat.  


“Where is that city from here?”  


“Northwest. It’s… it’s where another ancient city used to be.”  


“Seems to be a habit…”  


Just then, the sounds of echoed shouting came from outside and the Banuk girls glanced toward each other. As they did, the man’s free hand suddenly shot forward, grabbing Anukai’s cloak and yanking the hood back, prompting her to whirl back to the man on the ground.  


“I knew it… an Alpha…” he said, his eyes wide.  


“What did you call me?”  


Just then, the unmistakable sounds of a machine coming to life filled the building and they all froze. Ikrie whirled around, raising just high enough to see over the consoles before cursing under her breath.  


“Those Ravagers are awake. We need to go.”  


Just then, the man beneath Anukai suddenly placed his free hand on her side and shoved her away from him. The redhead was caught off guard and fell to the floor as the man scrambled free, reaching for something on the console nearby, even as Anukai scrambled to get back up, once again. Just as the man’s hand reached the console, however, the redhead swung her knife, cutting across the inside of his elbow.  


He quickly crumpled against the bench with a cry of pain as Anukai grabbed his reaching arm, bending it backward at an uncomfortable angle until she heard a loud pop and the man screamed. As he rolled onto his back, the redhead held the knife to his throat, again, kneeling before him.  


“What did you call me?” she demanded.  


“A—an—Alpha,” he gasped.  


“What does that mean?”  


The man gingerly attempted to reach toward his right arm, but Anukai pressed the blade against him more firmly.  


“What does that mean?!”  


“Red… hair… you’re… wanted….”  


The redhead continued to stare back at the man before her for several moments, her chest heaving, before Ikrie shook her head.  


“We have to go, now!”  


A moment later, one of the glass windows on the tower suddenly exploded as bolts of bright blue energy slammed into the ceiling, tearing holes in the metal surface. Anukai and Ikrie shrunk away from the shower of glass, but quickly recovered as the dark-haired girl scrambled toward the ladder. Anukai hesitated for a moment, turning back to the man before pointing her knife at him, several inches from his face.  


“You won’t die by my hand.”  


With that, she slid her knife into its sheath and hurried after Ikrie, hopping onto the ladder moments before more blasts of energy tore through the upper level of the building, destroying several of the consoles. As the girls reached the ground floor, the metal structure began to creak and groan around them.  


“Out, now,” Anukai panted, shoving Ikrie toward the door.  


Just before they could reach it, however, something suddenly slammed into the metal front, bending the wall, itself. A moment later, razor sharp claws tore through the surface, ripping the door free from its hinges and throwing it several yards away. Through the new openings, however, they could clearly see one of the Ravagers staring back at them.  


The girls skidded to a halt as Anukai quickly drew her bow and an arrow from her quiver. The cannon atop the machine’s back began to glow a bright blue, so she quickly aimed the tip of her arrow at the light and loosed it. The machine recoiled as the arrow slammed into its weapon, but a strange whirring sound began to fill the air as a bright, white light began to form from the cannon, instead.  


A moment later, a loud explosion ripped through the machine, sending a shower of sparks and shrapnel into the air. Chiefly, however, it was no longer focused on them.  


“Now!”  


Anukai shoved Ikrie forward, once again, and they tore through the hole where the door had once stood, quickly swinging to their left, only to find the other Ravager waiting just past another building perpendicular to the one they had left. The girls quickly changed direction, tearing off to the right of the door they had exited just as the other Ravager leapt forward, metal claws outstretched. They both dove forward, tucking into rolls across the ground just as the sounds of the shrieking metal filled the air and the ground shook beneath them.  


When Anukai glanced back, she saw that the second Ravager had torn through the side of the building they had just left, but this had evidently been just enough damage as the tower began to tilt toward the inside of the camp. The Ravager she had shot earlier quickly skittered out of the way, but the other took the full brunt of the structure’s weight as it fell atop it. Sparks and shards of metal flew into the air as it scrambled to break free, but a moment later, Anukai caught a glowing, red projectile arcing through the air toward the downed machine.  


As it slammed into the Ravager, a powerful explosion ripped through the remains of the structure and the machine’s head. Anukai squinted against the bright burst of light and heat from the flames, but quickly began to scramble to her feet as she glanced over at Ikrie to find the other girl lowering her sling. As the dark-haired huntress glanced up at her, the redhead nodded, offering her hand and pulling her to her feet.  


Along with the wreckage of the tower and one of the Ravagers, however, the courtyard was quickly filling with more figures from the building Anukai had noted earlier, each of them looking equally as confused, until some began to notice the girls. Shouts began to echo about the courtyard as some began to draw weapons and give chase, prompting the Banuk girls to quickly scramble away, trying to slip beside the nearest building for cover.  


As they did, another powerful blast ripped through the camp, prompting both girls to wince before Anukai dared to glance back around the corner of the building. The Ravager she had previously hit now appeared to be missing even more armor as it whirled around, seemingly searching wildly for signs of what had attacked it, as were the figure that had previously begun to give chase. A moment later, Anukai caught another projectile fly from beside one of the other buildings and slam into the machine, bringing about more damage from a tearblast arrow.  


The machine suddenly seemed to lose all sense of searching for its attacker, and simply began to swipe its powerful claws wildly before it. The figures from the building began to run, but several of them quickly fell into literal pieces as the Ravager tore into them. A moment later, the machine crashed into the building, itself, easily crumpling its flimsy, metal walls. The figures between the Banuk girls and the machine seemed to debate whether they should run or fight, but as the Ravager began to flail its way out of the wreckage, tearing into the side of the next building, in the process, they seemed to make up their minds.  


Several of them turned their weapons on the machine, opening fire with loud, repeated blasts, like rapid-fire rattlers, while several others began to turn and run. The Banuk girls quickly turned and raced toward the end of the building, slipping behind the far wall for a moment before exchanging a glance.  


“Time to go,” Ikrie panted.  


Anukai nodded in response, and both girls quickly pushed off from the wall, racing out into the open ground of the desert beyond. Several voices echoed from behind them and the redhead swore, quickly knocking an arrow to her bow and skidding to a stop. She whirled around, drawing the bow in a single, fluid motion as her eyes locked onto several of the retreating figures now turning their attentions on the girls.  


A moment later, she loosed the arrow, watching as it found its mark in the chest of one of the figures, sending him crumpling to the ground. His companions began to raise their weapons to return fire, only to yell and dive out of the way as a glowing, red bomb sailed toward them. Taking the momentary distraction, Anukai spun on her heel and raced to catch up to Ikrie, the dark-haired girl joining her in an all-out sprint into the night, quickly leaving the light of the camp behind.  


Once they had gone a fair distance into the darkness, they skidded to a stop, falling prone on the ground as they spun to look back toward the camp. The figures that had attempted to give chase appeared to have lost interest as their comrades had dragged them back into the struggle against the Ravager. Anukai’s eyes scanned over the scene of the camp, now notably missing a great deal of its artificial lamps and the tower they had climbed earlier. The faint hints of black smoke rose from the center of it, while sparks and bright bolts of ammunition from the figures’ weapons sprayed into the air, all to the sounds of tearing metal and the roars of a wounded machine.  


“Come on,” Ikrie said, elbowing Anukai, “let’s get back to the Striders.”  


With that, they carefully rose from their positions in the sand, turning and moving back in the direction they remembered entering from minutes ago, keeping their weapons drawn and ready, just in case. When they had finally put a good hundred yards or so between themselves and the camp, and there were still no signs of pursuers, they holstered their weapons, rising to a standing position and walking more normally.  


“What did that man say to you?” Ikrie asked, glancing over at the redhead.  


“He called me an… Alpha,” Anukai replied, her face contorted in confusion.  


“What does that mean?”  


“All he said was that it had to do with my hair,” she replied, self-consciously reaching up to run one hand over her braid. “That’s how he knew and… that I’m hunted.”  


“Just because of your hair?”  


Anukai shot her an admonishing look as Ikrie grinned sheepishly, but fell silent. Eventually, the redhead tapped her Focus, bringing the web of lines and glyphs to life around her. As she did, several shapes appeared against the darkness before her, outlined low against the ground.  


“This way.”  


She quickened her pace, leading Ikrie at a light jog until they came to a stop beside the resting forms of the Striders. Just as they reached them, two figures rose from behind the machines, raising bows toward them.  


“It’s us! It’s us!” Anukai hissed, raising her hands defensively.  


Aloy and Talanah sighed in relief, lowering their weapons as the girls made their way around the resting machines. Almost immediately, Aloy wrapped the younger redhead in a tight embrace, prompting her to jump slightly in surprise.  


“Thank the goddess you’re alive,” she muttered.  


Anukai paused for a moment longer before returning the embrace, nodding.  


“Your distraction helped.”  


As Aloy pulled back, she laughed softly.  


“I didn’t exactly expect it to… well, do that,” she said. “Then I saw it tearing through those people, and they ran after you two and…”  


“We’re fine,” Anukai interrupted, grinning. “Glad to see you two are okay, as well.”  


Talanah nodded sighing.  


“Aloy’s plan there did almost send a Ravager crashing down on top of us.”  


The older redhead scoffed, whirling to face her before stepping forward to bat at her shoulder playfully. As they began to softly argue and tease, Anukai glanced over at Ikrie to find the dark-haired girl looking back at her. The darkness obscured most of her face, but the redhead could have sworn she was wearing a soft, almost sad smile. Just as she was about to say something, however, Aloy cleared her throat, bringing their attention back to her.  


“We should get moving, again,” she said. “If they destroy that Ravager, they’re going to come looking for us… and alert Reva.”  


The group solemnly nodded before beginning to rouse their mounts, once again. As soon as everyone was seated, they spared one last glance toward the wreckage of the camp, noting that the sounds of the struggle had seemingly come to a lull. Finally, Aloy spurred her Strider onward, leading the way through the darkness around the camp toward the far side.  


Within a minute or two, they came across another track of disturbed sand and quickly turned to follow it, picking up their Striders’ pace to place some distance between themselves and the camp. After about thirty minutes of their small sprint, they slowed to a more casual canter, Anukai leaning back in her seat with a sigh.  


“So… did you find anything?” she asked, glancing over at Aloy beside her.  


The older redhead frowned, shaking her head.  


“Not much. Got spotted before we could really learn anything.”  


Anukai nodded, her jaw working tensely as she could sense Aloy’s gaze turn on her.  


“What about you?”  


The younger redhead sighed deeply before turning to look back over at her.  


“I talked to a man from the camp,” she said. “He told me that Reva and this city we’ve heard about at the Mountain were built by the same person.”  


“A single person?”  


Anukai nodded.  


“The man at the camp called him a—a god-king,” she said. “Called him… some kind of pharaoh.”  


Instantly, Aloy grew rigid, bringing her Strider to a halt. Anukai slowed hers a few steps later, turning back to find the older redhead staring at her, eyes wide, jaw set, and chest heaving.  


“What’s wrong?”  


Talanah suddenly appeared on Aloy’s opposite side, concern etched into her features. As she opened her mouth to speak, the older redhead cut her off, her voice barely louder than a whisper, but carrying an intensity Anukai had not heard from it, yet.  


“It’s not a title…” she began, her eyes locking with the Banuk redhead’s, “it’s a name.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun...


	8. Reva

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy monday, y'all.
> 
> It's technically Memorial Day in the US but... feels a little different this time. I've got the beer, brats, and potato salad ready to go anyway, though.
> 
> Anyhoo, it's about time we finally saw this Rust place that's been so hyped up.
> 
> Welcome to Reva.
> 
> Enjoy your stay.

Confusion creased Anukai’s face as the two older women both seemed to have gone pale, Talanah shaking her head, as well.  


“You mean… like from before?” the Carja said.  


“That message was signed Omega, and now Anukai heard someone specifically say the name Faro,” Aloy said, gesturing to the younger redhead. “How much more evidence do we need?”  


“But… that was a thousand years ago,” Talanah countered. “How could he still be alive now?”  


“The same way Elisabet Sobeck is.”  


The Carja fell silent as a shiver ran down Anukai’s spine. Aloy let out a heavy sigh, releasing the Strider’s wires from one hand to rub at her eyes tiredly.  


“This Faro, then,” the younger redhead interjected. “He… was one of the Old Ones?”  


“I might have briefly mentioned his name, before,” Aloy said, glancing up at her, “in the way of the Faro Plague, or the Swarm.”  


Anukai nodded slowly.  


“He was also someone who worked very closely with machines and technology, like Elisabet, but… he specialized in making them as weapons.”  


Aloy pointed to the younger redhead’s left arm.  


“The machine that nearly killed you was based on one of his designs,” she said. “Well—more than likely was one of his designs. Same with those larger ones you saw destroy that settlement earlier today.”  


Another shiver ran through Anukai as she instinctively released the Strider’s wires from her grip, curling her left hand into a fist before relaxing it slowly.  


“So, if something relating to him has attacked GAIA and now us, specifically… well, I think that tells us how quickly we need to find this city and make sure nothing else happens,” the older redhead continued.  


“So why don’t we just skip Reva entirely?” Ikrie suggested, drawing the rest of the group’s attention.  


“The man we—spoke to—” Anukai hesitated, clearing her throat, “said that he’s not in Reva anymore.”  


Aloy frowned slightly, but nodded.  


“I think… I think there’s still worthwhile information to be gathered there,” she said. “We can maybe find out more about who, or what, exactly we’re up against.”  


The rest of the group remained silent as she glanced around at them, her gaze coming to rest, finally, on Talanah. The Carja wore a conflicted expression for several moments before sighing.  


“We’ve come all this way…” she said slowly, “and we don’t know exactly where this city on the coast might be, right?”  


Aloy appeared as if she were about to answer before pausing and shaking her head.  


“Not exactly.”  


The older women remained silent for several moments, sharing an unreadable look, before they turned to the Banuk girls.  


“What do you think?”  


Anukai glanced over at Ikrie as the dark-haired girl sighed and shrugged.  


“Talanah had a point,” the younger redhead replied.  


The group fell silent as Aloy offered a short nod and adjusted her position atop her Strider.  


“Onward to Reva, it is.”  


After riding for another several hours, Anukai found herself yawning deeply as she tried to ignore how heavy her limbs felt. They had been able to catch some rest before infiltrating the camp, but it had not been anything near a full night’s sleep. Although they had put some considerable distance between themselves and the attack, part of her kept urging her to glance over her shoulder to make sure they hadn’t been followed.  


Finally, however, when her next yawn was too loud to go unnoticed, Talanah signaled for the group to stop. They quickly set up their bedrolls, letting the Striders graze several yards away, this time, and set up a watch schedule. Aloy insisted that she go first, while smirking as Anukai nodded in agreement, even as she yawned, again.  


“You’ll go last.”  


The younger redhead didn’t put up an argument as she fell onto her bedroll with a sigh, adjusting her position slightly before falling still. The sounds of the dark-haired women also taking their spots on their bedrolls came from nearby, but Anukai noted the delay between when Ikrie laid out her bedroll and when she actually laid on it. After several long moments without the feeling of the dark-haired girl sliding tightly beside her, the Banuk redhead frowned slightly and turned her head to the right.  


Ikrie was sitting on her bedroll, propped up by one hand, as she stared down at Anukai with an unreadable expression. The redhead swallowed the heavy lump in her throat as she rolled onto her side to face her.  


“Everything okay?” she asked softly.  


Ikrie seemed to snap out of her daze, nodding as she slowly lowered herself to the bedroll, adjusting her position on it, but still not immediately sliding forward toward Anukai. The redhead felt her heart begin to pound faster as she tentatively reached one hand toward the dark-haired girl, letting it come to rest, palm up, on the edge of her bedroll. Ikrie remained still for several moments before sighing and gently laying one of her own atop it.  


They remained still for several long moments before the dark-haired girl wrapped her hand around Anukai’s, squeezing it gently. The redhead tried to hold back the frown from settling on her features as she returned the gesture. A moment later, Anukai carefully slid her hand from under Ikrie’s, pulling it back just enough so that she was able to remove her glove, holding her bare hand out, once again.  


The dark-haired girl took her grasp more immediately, squeezing her hand more tightly. Finally, she slid forward, adjusting their grip between them until their hands were held between their chests, the dark-haired girl gently placing a kiss on the redhead before burying her face in the crook of her neck. A shiver ran through Ikrie as Anukai swallowed nervously, once again.  


“Just a… memory of the ice,” the dark-haired girl whispered.  


The redhead nodded slowly, but remained silent as she wrapped her free arm over Ikrie tentatively. The other girl didn’t resist or move to squirm away, so she took it as a good sign, bringing it to rest over her side.  


Although Ikrie eventually seemed to drift off into sleep, her breathing slowing and becoming more rhythmic, Anukai found herself suddenly unable to draw on the fatigue that had threatened her on their ride mere minutes ago. Her attention was solely focused on the warm hand held tightly in her own, held firmly between the two of them. She could feel a pounding reverberate against them, but couldn’t discern which side it came from, even as she was hyper-aware of everything else.  


Finally, even though her eyes had been closed for what felt like hours, she felt the relaxing sensation of sinking, falling into actual sleep. Moments later, she found her eyes blinking open to warm sunshine and she began to wonder if someone had forgotten to wake her for her turn at watch, but as she began to lift her head, she realized that it was most definitely not laying atop the bundle of clothing she had made into a makeshift pillow.  


She glanced down at the clean, smooth fabric of the bedding before her gaze raised to the room beyond the bed, itself. The sunlight was not beating down on her from above, as it should in the desert, but pouring through an open doorway and windows that seemed to overlook a small balcony.  


A single figure stood in the doorway to said balcony, prompting Anukai to push herself up with one arm, tilting her head slightly. As the features of the figure became more familiar, a smile began to tug at her lips. The redhead threw the sheets aside, slipping from the plush mattress of the room so much like the one they had shared at the Palace in Meridian and padding toward the figure and the balcony.  


Ikrie leaned her back against the doorframe, her head turned away from Anukai as she seemed to stare out at what seemed to be the sunrise, a bowl of some kind in one hand. The redhead didn’t fail to notice that she appeared to be dressed only in a single, blue tunic that fell just under halfway to her knees, the image bringing a warm feeling to her chest and something tighter to her stomach.  


Just as she reached the doorway and reached one hand toward the dark-haired girl’s shoulder, the next blink revealed an empty doorway, the light suddenly much darker and much more blue, rather than the warm oranges and pinks of before. Anukai froze, hand still outstretched, before whirling around at the sound of a door opening behind her.  


She caught sight of a head of dark hair slipping through it and she quickly scrambled after the image. As she reached the door and threw it open, however, she found nothing but a mottled collection of browns, yellows, reds, and oranges that made up a hazy impression of the hallway beyond, but no actual shapes.  


“Just a… memory of the ice.”  


Slowly, Anukai turned around to find the image of Ikrie standing in the middle of the room, at the foot of the bed, an unreadable expression on her face. She was still dressed in the single tunic, but something about the image didn’t allow the same warm feeling as before to return.  


The redhead swallowed nervously and began to approach, but Ikrie didn’t disappear, once again. Her gaze remained locked with Anukai’s as she came to a stop before her, raising one, shaking hand. As it slid beside the dark-haired girl’s face, she noted the streak of dark vermilion left behind by her fingers. The redhead’s breathing began to accelerate as her heart pounded in her chest.  


“Just… a memory…”  


As Anukai blinked, again, the image of Ikrie suddenly appeared soaked in blood from the neck down, an angry, red gash across her throat, her lips blue and dark circles prominent under her eyes.  


“No!”  


The redhead suddenly found her shoulders pinned to a surface behind her as she was vaguely aware of a voice directly in front of her; it wasn’t loud, but it sounded as if it should have been yelling.  


“Anukai! Wake up!”  


Finally, after taking a few moments to blink and try to catch her breath, the silvery, moonlit image of Ikrie’s face formed out of the darkness before her, an expression of concern on her face.  


“You with me?” she breathed.  


Anukai nodded and the dark-haired girl sighed, seemingly falling forward onto Anukai and bringing her face to rest against her right shoulder.  


“You scared me.”  


The redhead swallowed nervously, wrapping her arms tentatively around the other girl and running one hand across her back.  


“You were… muttering my name, so I thought something was wrong, but then… you started thrashing about.”  


Anukai paused, the hesitation enough to prompt the dark-haired girl to prop herself up over the redhead again, concern laced in her features.  


“You didn’t… have a nightmare about me… did you?”  


The redhead quickly shook her head, but Ikrie continued to stare down at her with an unreadable expression for several long moments before frowning and leaning forward, wrapping her arms underneath Anukai in a tight embrace.  


“I’m fine,” she whispered. “I’ll be fine.”  


“I know,” the redhead replied, equally as softly.  


Her jaw clenched shut a moment later, holding back the words and thoughts that threatened to tumble from her, but she was still afraid that somehow her heart beat would betray her.  


Eventually, Ikrie was called for her watch duty, but Anukai offered to take her place. Talanah frowned slightly, but shrugged, ultimately not putting up any form of fight. As the Banuk redhead grabbed her bow and quiver from nearby, she turned back to Ikrie and paused, her jaw working tensely before she leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss against her.  


“Get some sleep,” she sighed, rising from her bedroll and trudging toward the spot the two older women had taken.  


Settling in for her shift, the sensation of the cool, desert breeze began to settle over her and she found an involuntary shiver run through her.  


“Memory of ice…”  


For the remainder of the several hours on duty, she tried her best to focus on the landscape around her, to empty her mind of thoughts about the dream she had just awoken from, but even with all of her attempts, it only seemed to bring it into further clarity. The image of Ikrie soaked in blood, staring up at her with an unreadable expression with such dead eyes sent stronger shivers through her than any icy crevasse ever had.  


Suddenly, something touched her shoulder and she jumped, whirling toward it as one hand instinctively reached for her bow. Her eyes quickly fell on the faint image of red hair against the darkness and she released her weapon, but found herself no less tense as she sighed.  


“Sorry.”  


The older redhead slowly took a seat beside her as Anukai rubbed at her eyes.  


“Shouldn’t you be asleep?”  


“Shouldn’t you?” the younger redhead replied, glancing back at her.  


The older redhead sighed before shrugging, folding her legs before her.  


“Fair enough.”  


Silence fell over them for several long moments before Anukai broke it, her eyes still fixed on the endless moonlit sand before her.  


“You wanted to know if that man we talked to at the camp said more, right?”  


A sigh sounded from beside her, but she didn’t turn to look back.  


“He didn’t… not really,” she continued. “Just everything we’ve heard from Ara and Vansa and all of them, except that it was led by that one man.”  


“Building a city takes time…”  


“Not if you know how to use technology like this,” Anukai shot back, shaking her left arm slightly.  


“Meridian didn’t suddenly turn into some technological wonderland overnight, even with what was rebuilt of GAIA and her subfunctions.”  


The younger redhead paused for a moment before slowly turning back to the older redhead beside her. For the first time, she was able to get an actual look at her image, and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end when she didn’t recognize the clothing. It was some kind of baggy, red top and dark blue leggings, and distinctly not like anything she had seen someone wearing recently. The redhead glanced over at her, smirking.  


“You didn’t ask.”  


Anukai sighed, tiredly hanging her head before shaking it slowly.  


“Guess I didn’t.”  


Another bout of silence fell over them for a moment or two before the image of Elisabet cleared her throat.  


“I don’t think you fell asleep, by the way.”  


“So I’m going more insane?”  


“I think you’re just very tired.”  


Anukai let out a short laugh, straightening her posture before a yawn forced its way out of her.  


“See?”  


The younger redhead grumbled an inaudible response but fell still again, slowly tracing one finger through the sand beside her.  


“So I’m assuming you don’t actually want to know about that man, then.”  


Elisabet shrugged, leaning back as she stretched her hands out behind her.  


“I was curious, too, but… I don’t think you’re all that interested in my theories.”  


“About?”  


“About how a single man didn’t rebuild a city.”  


Anukai frowned, glancing over at her.  


“But… the man at the camp said…”  


“People will believe what they can see, until it no longer makes sense,” Elisabet interjected, raising her eyebrows, “then they start making things up to fill in the gaps.”  


The younger redhead’s confusion didn’t lessen as the older redhead smirked.  


“Ted was smart, but I don’t think he solved the riddle of immortality,” she continued. “His forte was with machines and coding them, not biology.”  


“So… couldn’t he… build something to make him live longer?” Anukai asked slowly.  


“Even if he did, he was already in his forties when—when the world ended,” Elisabet said, clearing her throat. “In the time it would take to rebuild a city, repopulate it, and move on to build another… he’d be getting old enough that I wouldn’t think that would be very practical.”  


The Banuk redhead sighed, rolling her eyes.  


“So what is your theory, then?”  


Elisabet paused for a moment before smirking.  


“Maybe I’ll wait to see it to believe it, rather than making things up.”  


Anukai shot her an admonishing look, but the older redhead remained silent, drawing her lips closed tightly and humming softly.  


With another roll of the Banuk girl’s eyes, a few moments of silence fell over them as Anukai scanned out over the barren landscape before her, searching for any hints of the members of the camp pursuing them, but she couldn’t spot any signs of lights or motion that seemed out of place. Finally, when she had convinced herself that there was no immediate threat closing in on them, she sighed, glancing over to find the image of Elisabet still seated beside her, although she had now stretched her legs out, propping herself up with her arms behind her.  


“Surprised you didn’t want to talk about… last night,” Anukai muttered.  


“You clearly didn’t, so I didn’t want to make that mistake again,” Elisabet replied, raising her eyebrows back at her. “Been on your mind, though.”  


“You already know?”  


“Not necessarily, but you’re the one who brought it up.”  


The younger redhead laughed quietly, shaking her head as she adopted a similar posture to Elisabet.  


“Like you said,” she began, “I want to see things, myself, before I start… believing or theorizing.”  


A long pause followed between them before Anukai sighed.  


“And… seeing that armor… at the ruin…”  


A shiver ran down the younger redhead’s spine as she noted Elisabet shifting her position out of the corner of her eye.  


“You could finally see it—something, at least.”  


Anukai nodded.  


“And it wasn’t… there was something different compared to… to the _you_ in the mountain…”  


“Well—”  


“Besides the obvious,” Anukai interjected, smirking.  


Elisabet laughed softly, nodding.  


“You know more now.”  


“I’ve been told a lot more.”  


“And shown.”  


The younger redhead’s jaw worked tensely for a moment as Elisabet sighed.  


“Ki—Anukai, I know it’s all been a lot to process, but… it has been for Aloy and I, as well,” she said softly. “It took us a while to fully—understand—each other, and then suddenly you appear… and Ara…”  


“She seemed to know something, too,” Anukai interjected, staring distantly at the ground a few feet ahead of her. “Is she… have you…?”  


“There… I’ve… noticed some things, yes,” the older redhead replied slowly.  


“You’ve… seen her… like I’ve seen you?”  


“Flashes, yes.”  


Silence fell over them for several long moments, again, before Anukai heard Elisabet draw a slow breath from beside her.  


“I also saw… flashes… of… why you couldn’t sleep tonight.”  


The younger redhead instantly grew tense as she kept her gaze focused on the ground before her, refusing to meet the other’s eyes.  


“Like I said before, I don’t know your whole life story—only pieces—but something tells me that what happened at my mom’s old ranch wasn’t the only memory of a ‘past life’ that you’re starting to wish you could forget.”  


Anukai began to shift uncomfortably, turning away from the older redhead, only to feel something grab her wrist. She jumped in surprise, glancing down to find Elisabet’s hand gripping her, and a strong shiver ran down her spine as she tried to tell herself it shouldn’t have felt so real, yet… it did.  


“Anukai, I’m not trying to hurt you, or attack you,” the older redhead said softly, finally drawing the girl’s gaze to meet hers. “I don’t want you to feel like you’re alone in feeling all of that. Even before—the end—I had regrets about things I had done, too. Hell, I worked for Ted Faro right before he started making the machines that destroyed everything.”  


The Banuk redhead’s eyebrows lifted slightly as Elisabet sighed, a slight frown tugging at her lips.  


“Part of me… still can’t but feel like I was at least partially responsible…” she continued, her voice even quieter. “I helped make the tools that Ted used to build his machines solely for killing—and I guess I made them a little too well… because they killed everyone and everything.”  


A tight feeling formed in Anukai’s chest as she tried to swallow the hard lump in her throat, but it didn’t seem to go away.  


“You can’t change who you were before,” Elisabet continued, “but you can use what you’ve learned since to make who you are now someone different—maybe even someone better.”  


The Banuk redhead remained silent for several long moments before she finally nodded, her eyes flicking down toward the space between them, to Elisabet’s hand on her arm. The older redhead slowly released her grip, her hand falling into the sand between them with a sigh.  


“Thanks.”  


As Anukai lifted her gaze to meet Elisabet’s, once again, she found that the space beside her was empty, and she was blinking away the feeling of sleep from her eyes. With a muttered curse, she rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to keep herself awake, until she finally gave in and began to rise from her perch on watch.  


As she trudged back to the bedrolls, her eyes locked on the dark shape of Ikrie alone on her bedroll. Anukai carefully placed her bow and quiver on the ground beside her own before lying on it and carefully approaching the dark-haired girl who lay on her side, back facing her. Taking a slow breath in through her nose, she slid forward, carefully wrapping one arm over her shape and one under her. Ikrie began to stir as Anukai leaned her head forward, burying the lower half of her face against the back of the other girl’s shoulder.  


“My turn?” the dark-haired girl muttered groggily.  


“Supposed to be.”  


“Then I should go.”  


“No one’s followed us all night.”  


“And if they just caught up to us now?”  


Anukai sighed heavily, burying her entire face against the fabric of Ikrie’s tunic for a moment before the other girl began to roll over to face her, maneuvering carefully in the redhead’s arms.  


“You need to get some sleep,” she said softly.  


“I couldn’t before…”  


“Anukai…”  


“S’fine, though, someone needs to keep watch—”  


“Anukai,” the dark-haired girl repeated, leaning her head forward slightly to try to meet her lowered gaze, “are you going to be okay?”  


The redhead shrugged, prompting Ikrie to sigh.  


“Come with me.”  


Anukai paused, but released the dark-haired girl as she began to rise from her bedroll. After grabbing her equipment, including Anukai’s old bow, she glanced back down at the redhead and waved for her to follow. Together, they made their way back to the guard post, where Ikrie took a seat, sighing softly as she did, before patting her right leg.  


The redhead looked back at her in confusion for a moment as the dark-haired girl laughed softly.  


“Remember earlier in the afternoon?”  


Anukai let out a soft “oh” before sinking to her knees on the sand beside her, adjusting her position somewhat before carefully lying down with her head in Ikrie’s lap. Almost immediately, the dark-haired girl’s hands began to run over her hair, tucking small portions that had begun to come loose from her single braid with the rest as she went. Finally, however, Anukai felt her carefully untie the strip of fabric that held it all together, and begin to run her fingers through it as gently as she could, despite the many knots that had formed from being tied back.  


“You should try to get some sleep,” Ikrie whispered.  


“Try…”  


The dark-haired girl leaned down toward her, placing a gentle kiss against her forehead before sitting up straight, once again. With a deep sigh, Anukai adjusted her position, once again and closed her eyes. As Ikrie’s fingers worked through her hair, slowly and carefully, she began to feel the motions become easier and her muscles began to relax, until finally she felt the last piece of tension leave her and she drifted off to sleep.  


Thankfully, no further images of a pale and bleeding Ikrie passed before her as she slept, until finally she was awoken by something shaking her. Anukai blinked rapidly before squinting her eyes against the bright sunlight of morning overhead. The vague outline of a silhouette was visible against the bright sky, but she didn’t dare open her eyes further, yet.  


“I would comment on your watch abilities, but it looked like you two really needed the sleep.”  


As the redhead’s vision adjusted, the image of Talanah over her slowly came into view and she groaned, rubbing at her eyes with one hand. When she turned her head to her right, she found Ikrie also seeming as if she had just awoken, lifting herself up from the sand behind her.  


“Almost didn’t want to interrupt, but… can’t lie around forever,” the Carja woman quipped, smirking.  


The girls continued to rouse themselves, stretching and groaning until they were both on their feet, once again, Anukai rubbing at the back of her neck with a grimace.  


“Sleep wrong?” Ikrie asked.  


The redhead shrugged, but remained silent as they made their way back to their things, packing their bedrolls and donning their equipment. Once everyone seemed packed and ready, they made their way back to their Striders, clambering aboard and settling in, albeit seemingly with much less energy or urgency than they had the day before.  


“Think the reason no one followed us last night,” Ikrie began, leaning in toward Anukai and speaking softly enough that the older women couldn’t hear her, “was because there was no one left to give chase?”  


The younger redhead’s lips drew into a thin line as Ikrie mimicked it soon after. Both of them fell silent as Aloy sighed, drawing their attentions back to her.  


“So, according to this, we can’t be far from Reva,” she said.  


“How far is ‘not far’?” Talanah replied.  


“As in… by midday.”  


The group quickly fell silent as Aloy continued to study something in the air before her for several moments before finally sighing and tapping her Focus.  


“Guess it’s time to find out what all the talk’s about.”  


With that, they turned their mounts along the trail left by the machines from the day prior, trudging along the disturbed sand, although Anukai noted that it had seemed to settle somewhat, making it much less of a clear track and more of a vague impression. Despite the heat of the morning sun already bearing down upon her, the younger redhead couldn’t help but shiver as Aloy’s declaration kept running through her head.  


Reva was close.  


It was about to become much more real.  


Just like the Elisabet on the bench.  


Another shiver racked her, prompting her to tighten her grip around her mount’s wires.  


“Starting to feel real?”  


She jumped at the sound of the voice beside her, whirling to her left to find Talanah had pulled her Strider alongside hers, an expression of concern etched into her face.  


“A bit.”  


“I feel the same way,” the Carja woman sighed. “By this point, though, I’ve seen so many things that have completely turned my world upside down since meeting Aloy that… the idea of seeing one more doesn’t bother me…”  


Talanah trailed off, staring ahead for several moments before Anukai cleared her throat.  


“But from what you’ve heard about this place…”  


The Carja sighed, nodding.  


“But from what we’ve heard… I’m concerned.”  


The rest of the morning saw them following the edge of yet another mountain range, the machines’ tracks hugging the very edge of the slope, as well. As the hours passed, the sky became filled with clouds, tempering the harsh sunlight, but also slowly growing darker, as well. Images of the valley filled with mud and rocks that had slid from the sides of its mountains seemed to be on all of their minds as each woman would occasionally glance toward the clouds before also eying the side of the mountain to their right. Regardless, however, they pressed onward.  


With every turn in the path, Anukai found herself bracing to come face to face with the machines they had seen the day before, but each time she only found more empty sand and more rocks. As they came to a particularly large formation that jutted out from the rest, they turned to pass around it, only for all four women to bring their mounts to a stop as soon as the view of the ground ahead opened.  


None of them spoke for several long moments before someone softly cleared her throat.  


“So… that’s Reva.”  


Anukai tried to recall the feeling of coming upon Meridian for the first time, but it seemed a pale memory in comparison to the sight laid out before her, now. A sprawl of jagged, metal towers jutted from the ground in the middle of an otherwise open expanse of sand. The red hue of the metal was easily visible even from a distance, and while at first it seemed more like the ruins of Las Vegas, the Banuk redhead’s eyes quickly began to focus on the buildings closer to the ground. Amidst these, the image of Reva was much different.  


While many of the structures still sported the rusty, red tones of other ruins, Anukai could also pick out movement and the hints of lights glowing amidst the metal. She quickly realized that they appeared to be spilling from windows on the outer buildings, but she also was able to detect what appeared to be a series of multi-colored glows emanating from between them, where the streets should be. The further she scanned through the field of metal, the more she began to pick out sections that seemed to contain less of the trademark red coloring, as well.  


“There’s… light,” Ikrie muttered, an awed expression on her face.  


“A modern city built in the rusted bones of the old…” Talanah said softly, her eyes also clearly fixed on the image, as well.  


Anukai and Aloy, however, had turned away from it, instead glancing toward each other, their lips pulled into thin lines. Finally, the redheads nodded and turned back to their companions.  


“There’s a chance at least someone here will know we’re coming,” Aloy began, “so we need to keep our heads down, find what we need, and get out.”  


The dark-haired women nodded, slowly seeming to come out of their dazes before the entire group pulled the hoods of their cloaks over their heads. Anukai and Aloy went a step further and tied small lengths of rope around the portions near their necks in an attempt to both draw the open fronts closed further, as well as hopefully hold them more in place so there was even less of a chance they would fall off.  


“The man at the camp recognized us just by how we looked,” the older redhead muttered to her as their Striders fell in step beside each other on the resumed march to the city. “I think it’s best we show as little of our faces as possible.”  


“Should we let the others speak for us, too?” Anukai replied.  


The older redhead remained silent for several moments before she let out a heavy sigh.  


“Can’t hurt to be too cautious.”  


As they grew closer to the city, Anukai quickly began to realize that even the shorter buildings she had spotted from a distance were taller than most she had seen before. The towering husks of metal that stood tall over the rest seemed as if they should be jutting into the clouds overhead, but the Banuk redhead didn’t dare tilt her head back for fear of her hood falling back.  


“There, on the right.”  


She jumped at the sound of Talanah’s voice from her right and she glanced over to her to find the raven-haired Carja pointing to something ahead of them. Anukai followed her gesture to find several dark, hulking forms standing just outside the first row of buildings, and she swallowed nervously. They were undoubtedly the machines built like towers of metal on legs, and she quickly realized that there were more than one of them.  


“Deathbringers…” Aloy muttered.  


“Like their personal security force,” Talanah replied.  


As they drew closer, they debated veering off the path of the machines, as it inevitably led to the crowd of machines they had spotted, however Ikrie quickly pointed out what appeared to be a wall running around the outside of the city. Anukai’s eyes scanned along it, looking for any signs of openings, but the only one seemed to be directly beside the massive machines.  


“One way in or out…” she sighed.  


“Talanah, Ikrie, you two are going to have to take the lead going in,” Aloy said. “We don’t know how easily they’ll recognize Anukai or me, but let’s not take any chances.”  


With that, the group quickly reorganized, placing the dark-haired huntresses at the front as they guided their mounts toward the machines that were also seemingly rapidly growing in size. Just as they were close enough that they could start to make out lights and the motion of smaller, human-shaped figures moving about near the wall in front of the Deathbringers, Anukai heard the soft pinging of rain drops landing on the back of her Strider’s head and she held one hand out before her.  


Several drops landed in the palm of her glove, each one seemingly beginning to fall faster than the last. Moments later, a light drizzle had begun, quickly soaking into the cloak over her shoulders and sending a shiver down her spine as the cold, wet fabric began to cling to her tunic beneath it.  


Finally, as they reached the ground before the bright lights they had spotted earlier, the rain had picked up into a steady, pounding cadence, quickly turning the sand into a soft, muddy field. The lights came from more of the artificial lamps, like the ones they had seen at the camp, lighting up the entire ground and any figure who approached the entrance set into the wall. Anukai’s eyes scanned over the structure to find that it appeared to be some kind of large gate made out of metal, complete with armed guards on the ground before it, as well as on some kind of walkway above it.  


The Banuk redhead noted, in particular, that they appeared to be carrying weapons like the ones Ara’s group had used, although perhaps even more advanced. They were entirely made of metal as black as that of the machines that now towered over them, and from what she had seen Ara’s even simpler version do to the head of a Stalker, she wasn’t particularly anxious to have any of them pointed at her.  


As Talanah and Ikrie led the way toward the gate, the guards shifted, turning toward them as they adjusted their grips on their weapons, but kept them in a lowered position.  


“Dismount your machines!” one of them at the head of the group barked, and the women came to a halt, carefully sliding from atop their Striders. “Leave them and step forward!”  


They did as they were asked, slowly approaching the wall of bright lights and the armed figures, Anukai making a point to keep her head slightly bowed to try to avoid the light spilling directly under her hood. The rain did help hide her behavior, at least, as she felt it continue to pound on the top of her head and shoulders, her clothing beneath the cloak now well on its way to being soaked through, as well. Her boots squelched slightly as she trudged through the puddles and mud that had formed quickly, until she came to a short stop before almost running into Ikrie before her.  


She spared a glance over the dark-haired Banuk’s shoulder to see several of the armed guards approaching.  


“Machines aren’t allowed inside the city, sorry,” the man who led the group said. “Where do you hail from, that you ride docile machines?”  


“Southwest of here,” Talanah replied.  


“Lower Coast?”  


The Carja nodded without hesitation, even as Anukai felt the hair on the back of her neck begin to raise. To her relief, however, the man simply nodded before turning and pointing to something to their right.  


“There’s a small storage shelter over there. We can store them out of the rain.”  


“Thank you.”  


With that, the other guards stepped around them, taking hold of their Striders and beginning to lead them toward a small, open-sided shelter just past the Deathbringers. Anukai felt her jaw clenching involuntarily as she watched their mounts led away, but she remained silent as she tried to otherwise control her outward reaction.  


The Banuk redhead’s attention was drawn forward, once again, as she felt something tap her arm. Talanah and Ikrie had already been waved forward by the remaining guard, and Aloy was motioning for her to follow. Anukai quickly fell in step behind them, stepping past the guard and toward the gate. The artificial lights aimed at them seemed to only grow brighter as they drew ever closer, until finally they had passed through the metal structure.  


Almost immediately, the amount of light dropped away, leaving her no longer bathed in a wash of harsh, white light, but instead in a strange twilight of multi-colored, clearly artificial light. The first street they found themselves on was surprisingly busy, considering how little they had been able to see from outside, and Anukai found herself stepping even closer to Ikrie, reaching forward to take hold of one of her hands.  


The dark-haired girl jumped in surprise, but when she glanced over, she relaxed, nodding. They remained side by side as they continued to move forward through the throngs of people before them, keeping a careful eye to ensure Talanah and Aloy were always close by, as well. As they continued to walk, Anukai couldn’t help but notice the eclectic mix of clothing and appearances that surrounded her.  


Many of the figures were dressed in materials she was familiar with: tanned leather, metal, dyed fabrics such as silks and more hearty woven textiles… but the way they were used and the styles they created were largely unlike anything she had seen. A woman who slipped past her, moving along the side of the building to her right, had her hair shaved tight to her scalp, although what remained seemed too bright of a blonde color to be natural; her clothing was largely made of what appeared to be tanned and dyed leather, with a crimson tunic tucked under a belt accented with metal pieces that held a pair of black leggings in place, all of it somewhat covered by a long, black cloak that whipped behind her as she stalked through the crowds of people.  


Anukai caught sight of numerous piercings and tattoos that also didn’t seem to bear a resemblance to any tribe she had seen before, with some seeming extreme, such as a man with metal hoops in the lobes of his ears that stretched them out to what seemed an impossible size.  


As the redhead’s gaze shifted from the people, specifically, she began to take in the buildings and the lights around them. The actual structures, now that she was close to them, clearly did not appear to be all repurposed ruins. While dirty, many of them did not sport the familiar signs of rusted and jagged metal that she had come to associate with those left behind from the Old World.  


Affixed to the outside of them, bright lights seemingly spelled out names or formed images that she assumed were supposed to convey whatever shop they housed or whatever purpose they served, as many of these displays appeared above the large, open fronts of what looked like permanent merchant stalls set into the fronts of the very buildings, themselves.  


Through all of this, however, the rain continued to pound down on them from overhead, although many of the other people around them seemed barely bothered by it, many having hoods pulled over their heads like the travelling women, or simply not bothering and occasionally wiping the water out of their eyes when it got too distracting.  


As they passed one of the many permanent merchant stalls, Anukai found herself coming to a stop, turning toward it as her grip on Ikrie’s hand prompted the dark-haired girl to also suddenly change directions. The redhead led the way toward the counter, coming to a stop before it between two different groups of people, both of which only spared her a quick glance before turning back to the wares before them.  


The table was covered in what appeared to be an assortment of metal trinkets, but as she scanned over them, some of them began to feel familiar. She tentatively reached toward a small prism made of what appeared to be colored glass, lifting it from the rest and turning it over in her fingers for several moments as she tried to figure out why part of her felt as if she had seen something like it before. It most certainly wasn’t anything of Banuk design, but she couldn’t remember if she had seen something like it in Meridian.  


“You seen that one?”  


She jumped slightly, glancing over the counter to find a man with dark skin but seemingly unnaturally light eyes staring back at her, eyebrows raised.  


“No,” she replied, shaking her head.  


“It’s a good one,” the man said. “Probably one of my favorites.”  


“What is it?”  


“ _Out of Town_. Seems like an old classic.”  


Anukai’s confusion didn’t lessen, but she remained silent, nodding.  


“So, gonna take it?”  


The redhead cleared her throat, returning the piece of glass to the table.  


“I’m a little short.”  


The man shrugged and began to turn to move on to the next person picking something off his counter, but as he did, the redhead caught how his irises seemed to shift and spin, almost like the eye of a Watcher, but on a much smaller scale. With a shiver, Anukai glanced over the rest of the trinkets before beginning to turn away, only for another figure to appear before her, leaning against the counter.  


“I like your ear piece,” he said, grinning.  


Anukai paused, her entire body tensing, as she stared back at him for a moment before he tapped his right ear.  


“I can see it glowing through your hood,” he continued, his voice carrying a noticeable lisp. “Looks like some premium Old World tech, not a refurb like everyone’s selling around here.”  


The redhead remained silent, glancing the man over, once again. He was tall and skinny, with short, dark hair and even darker skin. He was dressed somewhat more simply than some of the more extravagant outfits she had seen so far, but notably in all black, the hood of his jacket pulled back as he remained under the awning of the merchant stall.  


“Where’d you find it?”  


Anukai remained silent, but shrugged, attempting to turn away, again, only for the man to nod to his right.  


“This your girl?”  


The redhead paused, glancing over to find Ikrie just beside them, her jaw set as her gaze remained locked on the man.  


“You can tell her to take her hand off her knife,” he continued. “I’m just talking as an avid collector, myself.”  


Anukai kept her jaw clenched as she began to turn away from, toward Ikrie.  


“We need to get going,” the dark-haired girl said, taking Anukai’s left hand and beginning to lead the way away from the counter.  


“See you around, new girls.”  


The Banuk girls quickly slipped into the crowd, moving along the street until they spotted two figures with their cloaks pulled over their heads, waiting on the upcoming street corner. As they came to a stop before Talanah and Aloy, the older redhead quickly stepped forward.  


“Where did you two go?” she hissed.  


“Saw something,” Anukai replied, shrugging.  


“Here? An—you know where we are!”  


“I know.”  


The older redhead stared back at her for a few moments in silence before sighing and shaking her head.  


“Come on, we should keep looking further.”  


With that, the group resumed their trudging through the city streets, pressing on through the rain and the lights.  


As they continued, the open merchant stalls around them continued to change, seemingly by a cluster of streets at a time. At first, Anukai had noted the small trinkets, odds and ends that could be bought as keepsakes, perhaps, but eventually it changed to clothing, and finally, after traversing what felt like it had to be half the city, she noted sparks flying from multiple openings in the sides of buildings. As they passed one, in particular, with a particularly large amount of sparks flying from the opening, she noted how even Talanah and Aloy paused to glance inside it.  


The shower of glowing particles were coming from a worker in a heavy, leather apron and gloves, who was holding some kind of tool that appeared to be mechanical that he used to cut at a hunk of metal, almost like a Scrapper’s jaws. As Anukai’s eyes drifted to what the tool was cutting into, her eyebrows raised. The corpse of a Watcher, already mostly disassembled, lay strapped to some kind of work bench as the figure continued to cut away pieces from it. As they removed a particular section of armor plating, they held it up before them, turning it over several times before moving to a bucket on the far side of the stall and dropping it into it, some kind of liquid splashing over the lip of the wooden vessel.  


“They said they were machine workers,” Ikrie muttered from beside the redhead, prompting her to nod.  


“Stripping for parts isn’t anything new,” she shot back.  


A moment later, as they began to pass the next set of merchant stalls, Anukai’s eyes were drawn to motion from the one on her right. Immediately, the eye of a Watcher seemed to fall on her and she froze for a moment, her instincts to tense for a fight or a chase kicking in as its eye turned yellow, and then red, however a moment later, the sound of laughter came from the same stall and she turned from the machine to find a man dressed in similar, heavy leather clothing as the one she had seen moments ago standing beside the Watcher’s eye.  


“Genuine security,” he said, smirking at her, “and proof that it works.”  


Anukai’s lips pulled into a thin line as she continued past what she quickly realized was just the head and neck of a Watcher, mounted to some kind of platform beside the wooden counter of the stall, the machine’s eye following her for several paces before turning to someone else behind her.  


A few moments later, her eyes shifted to a younger man standing before his stall, clearly trying to get everyone’s attention as they passed by calling loudly over the general din around them and making exaggerated motions. Anukai would have simply ignored him as they passed, however her eyes were quickly drawn to one particular aspect about him that kept them there as they drew closer. Both arms appeared to be made of metal, with the smooth, black plating joining with his shoulders exactly at the joint. The redhead noted, in particular, that his did not quite have the total appearance of trying to mimic the exact shape and design of real arms, but instead almost looked like something that should have already been a part of a machine from the wild, with the sections up until the wrist made up of segments of much more flat pieces of metal.  


As they finally passed the man, she noted how his hands also had a similar appearance, with fingers that were rounded to provide a normal grip, but the palm section appeared much more flat than normal hands.  


Anukai instinctually found her left hand curling into a fist before relaxing slowly, a shiver running down her spine, as she turned her attention ahead of her, once again. As she did, she found Aloy and Talanah stopping by one particular stall up ahead, staring at something inside the portion set into the building. When the Banuk girls reached them, they stopped, as well, following their gaze before their eyes widened slightly.  


The interior walls of the stall were covered, seemingly from floor to ceiling, in all manner of weapons made from jet black metal. They didn’t look like any they had seen in the Cut, but closer to the ones carried by the guards outside. As Anukai’s eyes scanned over them, she noted that a few on the right side carried appearances more like the ones Ara and her group had used, and she began to piece together that perhaps they either hadn’t made their own, or had learned from here.  


“More advanced than the ones back home,” Talanah muttered, but as she was beside Anukai, the younger redhead could just barely hear her.  


She heard the vague sound of Aloy’s voice in response, but couldn’t make out what she said, although the Carja woman nodded a moment later.  


“Think they made them… or found them?”  


A shiver ran down Anukai’s spine as she glanced over the walls of weapons, once again, the man standing before them with his arms crossed giving them an expectant look.  


“See anything ya like?”  


The older women shook their heads, but Anukai suddenly pointed to one just behind him. The man perked up instantly, turning around and grabbing the weapon off the wall as Aloy and Talanah turned toward her. A moment later, the merchant handed her the weapon and the Banuk redhead took it, holding the device in both hands as she scanned over it from one end to the other.  


“High-powered shell capabilities, rapid-fire or single shot speeds, almost never overheats, and built of premium Refab steel,” the man said, grinning as he watched Anukai scan it over.  


The overall design reminded her of the rattlers she had seen in the Cut, still, but something about its shape and design made it feel both more advanced and more ancient than anything she had held, before. She carefully turned it around in her hands, noting what appeared to be some kind of trigger attached to the handle on the bottom side. With a curious expression, she adjusted her grip on the weapon, holding the front section up with her left hand while gripping said handle with her right, carefully sliding her finger into the same holder as the trigger, but making a point not to actually touch it.  


“Won’t wanna hold it there,” the merchant said, smirking as he pointed to a section farther back on the weapon’s body, closer to the trigger. “You’ll burn yer hand pretty bad.”  


Anukai did as he said, holding it by the closer section and lifting it before her, aiming vaguely past the man before letting out a “huh” and lowering it, once again. The weapon felt somewhat heavy in her hands, more so than a bow, at least. It certainly didn’t feel like the kind of weapon designed to be swung around at a moment’s notice, or drawn quickly.  


Just as she began to move to hand it back to the merchant, she caught sight of an insignia on the side and tilted her head slightly to glance down at it. Once again, it appeared to be some kind of glyphs made into a general symbol, but she couldn’t decipher exactly what they said, on their own. What caught her attention, though, was that it was the same logo that was printed on the outside of her Focus.  


“Mark of quality,” the merchant laughed, taking the weapon back from her and raising his eyebrows slightly. “So… sold?”  


Anukai cleared her throat.  


“Sorry, little short. Just curious.”  


The man shrugged.  


“Make ya way back if ya change yer mind.”  


With that, Anukai turned away from the counter toward the rest of the group to find them all looking to her expectantly, she nodded along the street and they began to resume their trek, although she noted how Aloy positioned herself alongside her.  


“What did you see on it?”  


“Some kind of symbol,” she said quietly. “Same one on my Focus.”  


Aloy quickly fell silent, but as Anukai glanced over, she noted how her jaw had clenched tightly. The older redhead didn’t say anything further, however, as they continued along the rain-drenched streets of the city.  


Finally, after wandering the maze of steel and lights until the sun had firmly set, taking with it most of the intensity of the rain, reducing it to a steady drizzle, Anukai began to feel as if they were missing something, or perhaps that they weren’t looking closely enough. While taking in the overwhelming amounts of sights, sounds, and smells, as they passed what appeared to be food vendors similar to the permanent merchant stalls they had seen, had certainly brought with it the exhilaration of experiencing the strangeness, she couldn’t stop feeling that each passing minute placed a larger and brighter target on their backs. Finally, however, Ikrie tugged on Anukai’s hand, leading her toward a small refuge on a street corner, where an overhang from the nearby building provided a respite from the rain before a closed metal gate that seemed to cover one of the openings for a merchant stall.  


When they came to a stop, Anukai found Aloy and Talanah already standing against the wall.  


“Where are we even supposed to find anything of use here?” Ikrie sighed, releasing Anukai’s hand to wipe at her face, shaking the water droplets off her fingers a moment later.  


“What exactly are we looking for, too?” Anukai asked quietly.  


“Someone who can tell us a little more about how this city came to be… like this,” Aloy replied, gesturing about them. “All lights and machines and... out of place and time.”  


“I never thought I’d see something like this, myself,” Talanah muttered, glancing around the intersection where they had stopped. “It… it looks like something out of… out of those images from—”  


She paused as she glanced toward Aloy before clearing her throat.  


“Well, you know where.”  


The older redhead nodded, her hood plastered to her head enough that it easily traced her motions, even if she didn’t remove it.  


“That’s why I want to know more about who built it,” she replied, “and why they’ve got guards with weapons straight from those same images standing beside Deathbringers that aren’t immediately destroying everything.”  


Anukai sighed, glancing around the crowds of people that slipped by them, still, watching for any whose gaze lingered on them for just a little too long.  


“So where do you expect to find someone who will tell us all that?”  


“Where people’s lips are a little looser.”  


Confusion creased the Banuk redhead’s face as she turned back to the older women to find Talanah nodding, as if she understood. A moment later, the Carja woman stepped forward, moving around Aloy and approaching a group of people standing outside one of the nearby merchant stalls.  


They glanced toward her as she approached, and seemed to listen as Anukai caught Talanah’s hands moving and gesturing slightly. Finally, after several seconds, the man closest to her pointed over her shoulder, toward the street behind the rest of the group, his lips moving as he nodded. The Carja nodded in response and turned on her heel to approach the group, once again.  


“This way.”  


Anukai’s confusion didn’t lessen as the older women began to lead them onto the street, the Banuk redhead exchanging a glance with Ikrie only to find a similar expression mirrored back at her. As they began to make their way back onto the streets, Anukai found her gaze yet again drawn to the various stalls and counters they passed. Each one seemed to be filled with items that felt familiar, even if she couldn’t place a specific memory or identity with any of them.  


Finally, however, Talanah brought the group to a stop, glancing up toward the lit writing above the building to their left before turning back to them.  


“This is the place.”  


Anukai glanced up at the lights, but only found that they appeared to spell out some kind of glyphs, but they were none that she recognized or could decipher. As she turned her gaze back down, once again, she found Aloy nodding toward a doorway set a few steps lower than the street. The Banuk girls followed after the older women as they approached the door, Talanah pulling the metal portal open.  


Immediately upon entering whatever space lay beyond, Anukai was struck by a strong, heavy scent that seemed to fill it. When she glanced around, memories of similarly dark and hazy space in Meridian began to come back to her; once her eyes landed on the wooden counter to the right, stocked with rows of glass bottles full of various colors of liquids, the realization firmly settled over her.  


“A pub?” she muttered.  


“People talk easier when they’ve been drinking,” Aloy said softly beside her, before following Talanah farther into the space.  


The barkeep behind the counter watched them for a few moments as they moved farther into the room before taking seats at a table away from the bar, itself.  


“You going to order anything?” he barked, raising one eyebrow.  


The Carja woman sighed, pushing herself out of her seat, once again, and approaching the bar.  


“Been on the trail all day,” she said, “could use something lighter to take the edge off.”  


The barkeep nodded, grabbing a bottle full of some kind of clear liquid from behind the counter and filling four short glasses.  


“Twenty pieces,” he said as he slid the glasses to her.  


Talanah hesitated for a moment before reaching into a pouch at her belt, drawing out several metal shards and shaking the water off them before placing them on the counter.  


“New around here?” the barkeep said, laughing dryly. “Don’t got any pieces?”  


“Yes, and I don’t,” Talanah replied.  


“Talk to Yanas over there, he’ll get you squared away,” the barkeep said, pulling the glasses back, “then come see me.”  


The Carja woman paused for a moment before nodding, pulling her shards back and turning to make her way toward the man in the corner. Anukai’s eyes followed her path to find an older man with a somewhat scraggly, white beard that extended several inches past his chin, while the sides on his cheeks remained shaved, a noticeable scar running down the side of his face, from just above his left temple to his ear.  


He glanced up from something on the table where he sat as Talanah approached grinning and nodding in response to whatever she had asked him; by now, they were both too far away to actually hear what they were saying. The man gestured for the Carja woman to sit, and so she obliged, seemingly taking care not to drip water all over whatever was on the table, itself.  


“Guess we should have thought of that,” Ikrie sighed.  


“We did,” Aloy replied, laughing softly. “This was the plan.”  


Anukai frowned slightly as she glanced over at her.  


“Really?”  


She could catch the hints of a smirk on the older redhead’s lips underneath her hood as she nodded toward the far corner. The Banuk redhead turned back to find Talanah waving for them to join her, as the older man mimicked the gesture, as well.  


“I refuse to believe you actually thought of this,” Anukai whispered as they began to rise from their seats, making their way to the far table.  


As they approached, the older man, presumably Yanas, gestured to the empty seats around them, while Aloy also pulled one over from a nearby table.  


“I heard you’ve come a long way,” he said, grinning.  


“You could say that,” Aloy replied, nodding.  


“I’ve heard much about the cities and the lands to the East, but never been,” he said. “Been a while since I’ve seen shards for currency.”  


“But you have, before?”  


The man nodded, grinning.  


“Occasionally some make their way west, but from what I understand, not many.”  


The group nodded, as he sipped at some kind of dark liquid in a glass beside his right hand before sighing and turning back to them.  


“So I take it you’re looking for a little more than just some pieces to buy things, here,” he said, raising his eyebrows slightly.  


“You could say that,” Talanah nodded.  


“We’re… feeling a little lost,” Anukai added.  


“Well, I’ve got some tips that could be very beneficial, if you’re planning on staying around Reva long,” he replied, clearing his throat.  


The women all nodded in response, leaning forward slightly as Yanas folded his hands on the table before him.  


“First and foremost: do not get on the bad side of the New Dawn members.”  


Confusion creased the women’s faces as the man grinned.  


“Who are they?” Ikrie asked.  


“They won’t necessarily tell you who they are,” Yanas continued, “but a safe bet would be any of the Enforcers, as well as any of those who are part of the ‘high society’ in Reva.”  


“So… it’s like some social class?”  


“More like a cult,” the older man sighed. “They were left in wake of this Faro when he left years ago. They’re what keep Reva linked to the Port and the Mountain on the coast.”  


“This Faro,” Aloy interjected, “he leads them?”  


“Somewhat,” Yanas replied. “He’s most definitely a figurehead for them, but I don’t know how directly involved he is.”  


The older redhead sank back in her chair, shaking her head.  


“Can’t even be original in coming up with the name for his own cult…”  


“What was that?”  


She shook her head, falling silent as Yanas glanced over at her, frowning slightly before finally turning back to the rest of the group.  


“So, stay on the good side of these New Dawn people,” Talanah said, attempting to lead the conversation back on course, “use pieces not shards to pay for things… what about all these machine workers and the weapons they’ve made?”  


“Those were something passed down from the New Dawn from that Faro,” Yanas continued. “New designs keep showing up all the time, so I can only assume that’s where they get them from, too.”  


“Did those machines outside come from the coast?” Aloy asked, leaning forward in her seat, once again.  


“Some of them, but they seem to find more around here all the time,” he replied. “Then, over time, they started modifying them… making them more… _effective_.”  


Images of the settlement they had encountered flashed before Anukai’s eyes as she hung her head, squeezing them shut tightly. The older women continued to ask several questions, but she wasn’t paying attention, the image of the man seemingly rotting from the inside refusing to leave her vision and her mind. Finally, she took a deep breath, lifting her head when she heard a momentary pause in the conversation.  


“What do you know about these red-haired women that someone, probably these New Dawn people, are so adamant about tracking down?”  


The entire table fell silent as they all turned toward Anukai, the older women in her own group staring back at her with unreadable expressions while Yanas’s face began to contort in confusion.  


“What do you mean, precisely?” he said.  


“Someone called them… Alphas.”  


Immediately, Yanas’s demeanor changed as she stared directly at Anukai for a few moments before turning to Aloy. Finally, he cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.  


“I think our conversation here is done,” he said quietly.  


“Wait—”  


“You need to get out.”  


“We’re just looking for information and then we’ll be gone.”  


“Not just out of this bar,” Yanas replied, shaking his head, “out of this city, right now.”  


The women all exchanged glances before the older man leaned forward across the table, speaking in a near whisper.  


“Every second you’ve been here, you’ve made yourself easier targets.”  


A moment later, he glanced around the bar nervously before turning back to them.  


“We’ve never spoken, understand?”  


Just then, the sound of the front door to the pub swinging open echoed throughout the space, followed soon after by the sound of the running water on the street interrupted by heavy footsteps. The group all turned toward the opening, as did the rest of the patrons, to find a group of figures in dark clothing, carrying the weapons the guards had held at the city’s gate, stepping into the room, shaking off some of the water from the drizzle outside before glancing around.  


Talanah muttered a curse under her breath as she tried to turn away quickly, however one of the new figures immediately pointed toward them and the first few began to approach. Anukai’s jaw clenched as she felt her heart rate skyrocket, her hands clenching tightly under the table as she glanced around for any sign of another way out, but it was no use as the figures came to a stop beside their table a moment later. As the Banuk redhead glanced up at them, she immediately froze, her eyes locking with the man who led the group.  


“Told you I’d be seeing you, new girls,” the man from the merchant stall said, his voice now devoid of any sort of lisp, although a similar smirk still tugged at his lips. “Care to talk some more? I am quite an avid collector of things of the Old World, after all.”


	9. SPECIAL NOTICE/AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey y'all.

I wanna be frank.

I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I'm sure you've heard about it on the news this past week.

I'm okay, personally, but I live less than 2 miles or so from where a great deal of the first fires were lit and where the police first began to fire mace and tear gas into crowds.

As someone who lives here, though, I've seen the other side from that. I walked down the streets that were burned and watched scores of people cleaning up, helping each other, saving food from the flooding grocery stores and target and making impromptu food shelves. The city is hurt, angry, and often scared, but the general people out and about standing together has been a beautiful thing.

Our city and the country of the U.S. are hurting very badly right now, and there have been many other things in real life that have taken much more presedence over writing a story for fun lately, obviously.

Needless to say, there's no new chapter this week. I'm sorry if that's disappointing, but that's how it I feel it needs to be.

Chiefly, I haven't even had time to even think about working on it.

But also, as much as I do enjoy writing and crafting this story arc, I do admit: it's not particularly happy. It isn't a light-hearted feel-good piece, and I know that.

Right now, I don't know if I feel that kind of thing is needed. More of it, at least.

This isn't me abandoning this overall, however.

This is just a pause.

I will be back, and this story will be back.

I don't know when exactly, though.

All I know is that it will be a Monday in the future. Whether that's next week, or the first Monday in July... who knows?

If you've been following this and want to see more, or you find this in the meantime and want to see how it ends, feel free to bookmark this story, this series, or me as an author on here to get the email when it happens, or just check back on the HZD page every Monday and see, because it will be a Monday when it returns.

I'll be back soon.

In hope for change in our insane world,  
NoGho


	10. Catch and Release

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all.
> 
> If you thought you saw this chapter posted earlier and some things were different about it, you're right.
> 
> I posted the original version of this earlier this morning but... I re-thought it after a conversation with imagine0314. There were some things that I ultimately felt like weren't where this should ultimately go.
> 
> The changes are subtle, but they're here, and that's where it's going to go for now.
> 
> Still leaving the CW for potentially distressing image based on recent events, as those are still sprinkled throughout. Overall, it's still not a sunshine and rainbows story.

The four women glanced around at the group of figures behind the leading man to find them all still with their weapons held lowered, however Anukai noted that their fingers still remained near the triggers. Her jaw clenched as she turned back to the main man to find him still looking around at them expectantly.  


“On your feet,” he said, gesturing to all of the women before pointing to Yanas. “You can stay there. You did good.”  


The Banuk redhead glanced toward the older man to find him with a conflicted expression on his face for a moment or two before he nodded. After several moments, where the women had not moved, the leading man sighed and drew a smaller, single-hand version of the black, metal weapons in the rest of the group’s hands. Suddenly, he jammed the barrel of his weapon into the side of her head.  


“On your feet, now.”  


Aloy’s head tilted to the side slightly away from the weapon, but she took a deep breath, sliding her chair back a few inches and beginning to rise to her feet. Anukai caught Talanah’s hands clenching into fists on the table before she slowly began to rise, a swell. Finally, the Banuk girls rose from their seats, as well. The man from the stall nodded toward the door out of the pub, his eyes locking on Anukai.  


“Let’s go.”  


With that, one of the other group members grabbed Aloy’s arm, tugging her to the side and leading her away. Another grabbed hold of Talanah a moment later, while two others began to move toward Anukai and Ikrie. They started to walk after the older women, only for the figures to grab their arms roughly, as well; the younger redhead noted specifically that the man had grabbed her right arm, and her left hand clenched into a fist for a moment before she forced it to relax as she began her forced march toward the door.  


Just before they had almost reached it, a loud bang reverberated throughout the room and she recoiled slightly, turning to glance back over her shoulder as best she could to find the leader of the group stepping away from the table, holstering his weapon once again, while Yanas had slid lower his seat. Anukai noted in particular, however, how his head remained lolled backward, and she could make out a dark liquid on the wall behind him.  


“Sorry for the trouble,” the leading man said as he passed the barkeep, slamming something onto the counter and sliding it toward him before stalking after the girls.  


A few moments later, they had all been led onto the street, where several more figures in dark clothing and holding the metal weapons stood in wait. Upon seeing the four charges led out of the pub, one of them stepped forward, approaching the lead man as he slipped past Ikrie and Anukai.  


“This all of them?” he said as he came to a stop before the new figure.  


“All of ‘em I remember from the gate.”  


The leading man nodded, glancing back at the women before flipping his own hood over his head.  


“Let’s go. The Controller’s waiting.”  


With that, they were quickly led along the street in single file, maintaining a fast walk as the figures at the head of the group cleared the way of other citizens, although many simply moved aside when they saw the figures carrying weapons approaching. Anukai glanced at several of their faces as they passed, noting the mixed range of expressions; some appeared nervous as they simply glanced at the dark figures and their weapons, while others seemed almost amused or intrigued by the group of four cloaked people being led along by them.  


Something told the redhead this wasn’t the first time such a sight had been seen.  


Eventually, after numerous twists and turns along the city streets, they appeared to have reached a section with far fewer casual individuals walking around. Anukai noted other groups of figures in dark clothing moving past them, many of which seemed to barely spare a passing glance before moving on their way. Finally, the group came to a sudden stop, the figure holding the younger redhead yanking on her arm before she ran into the one before them.  


With a clenched jaw, she glanced around where they had stopped only to find they appeared to be standing before two rather nondescript buildings. Neither sported the attention-grabbing, bright lighting, however the one to their right did seem to have quite steady traffic moving in and out of its front doors, most dressed similarly to the figures around her. After a few moments, one of the figures approached said doors and held one open, waving for the rest to follow.  


The march resumed as they were led inside the building, Anukai quickly blinking at the harsh, artificial light that lid the interior. The walls appeared to be made of some kind of gray stone, while the floor was a different type that appeared to have at one time perhaps even been shiny, but the dirt and water of numerous footsteps had turned the white portions of the pattern to a near brown color. When they reached the end of the first hallway, they came to what appeared to be a guard post behind a large counter, where several figures glanced up from whatever they were doing as the group came to a stop, once again.  


The leader slipped past the group, approaching the counter and coming to a stop as he removed his hood, sighing.  


“Four charges for the Controller, as requested,” he said.  


One of the figures, a woman with dark hair pulled into a tight shape behind her head glanced over the captive women for a moment before nodding and reaching toward something on the other side of the counter before her. A loud buzzing sounded, and Anukai noted a set of metal doors had slid open to the right of the post, which the leader quickly gestured for them to move toward.  


The travelling women were led forward, yet again, into the new hallway, however this one seemed to be lined with several sets of metal doors on either side of it. A small button between two of said doors lit up as the leader pressed it and stepped back, sighing.  


“We go one per car,” he said, glancing around at the rest of the group, who nodded.  


Anukai shifted uncomfortably under the grip of the figure beside her, prompting him to glare down at her before both of them turned their attention to one of the nearby doors as a soft chime sounded from it. When they slid open, they revealed a rather small space beyond, and the younger redhead quickly realized that it wasn’t a room, but an elevator.  


Aloy was quickly led into it by two of the dark-clothed figures, and the doors slid closed behind them. Anukai caught how Talanah noticeably shifted ahead of her, but the Carja woman remained silent as the leader pressed the button, again. Eventually, another door opened and Talanah was led into the second elevator, and the process started again.  


With the next elevator that opened, Anukai was tugged toward it, her feet slipping on the wet floor for a moment and prompting another figure nearby to grab her other arm to catch her before she fell. As the figure did, they paused, glancing down at her, the younger redhead’s heart beat pounding in her ears. He didn’t say anything, however, but simply helped drag her into the elevator before pressing another button on the inside.  


Shortly after the doors had closed, the feeling of the elevator rising came over her and Anukai swallowed the heavy lump in her throat. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end and she was beginning to wonder how much of the droplets running over her forehead were from the rain and how many were from sweat as she fought to control the tight feeling squeezing at her chest.  


Finally, however, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, prompting the figures to lead her out of it and into another hallway. The younger redhead quickly glanced around, but didn’t see the older women nearby, however she didn’t have long to look before the figures beside her dragged her toward a large door at the end of the hallway. When they came to a stop before it, the one on her left released her arm and approached some kind of metal panel beside it. A rectangle made of light appeared over it as he did, followed soon after by a rather synthetic voice.  


“Hold for identiscan.”  


A red light appeared from a single point at the top of the panel, scanning over the figure before a chime followed soon after.  


“Identity confirmed. Please proceed.”  


As the large door began to slide open, the sound of one of the other elevators opening behind her prompted Anukai to glance back, even as the figure at her side tried to drag her forward. She was just barely able to make out the image of a cloaked figure held between two of the dark-clothed men and she let out a short sigh. A moment later, however, the door slid closed, once again, and she was forced to turn forward as she was led farther into the new space beyond it.  


Immediately past the door was another hallway, although this one was much darker than the one they had just left. Soon, however, the passageway gave way to a large, open room, where Anukai quickly spotted the forms of Aloy and Talanah held between several of the dark-clothed figures ahead of them. When they finally reached the rest of the group, the man beside Anukai brought her to a stop, eliciting a grimace and glare from her at the sudden force exerted on her shoulder.  


When she finally turned back to the other women held captive beside her, she found them both looking in her direction. As her lips pulled back into a thin line, she nodded, prompting them to return the gesture. A few moments later, the sound of the door sliding open behind them and footsteps echoed about the large room until Ikrie was brought to a stop beside Anukai, both girls exchanging quick glances before the redhead swallowed the heavy lump in her throat. The dark-haired girl shot her a tight-lipped expression just before the younger redhead noted one of the other figures moving around the front of the group.  


“Darrius Rickard. Four charges who recently entered the city, as you requested,” the leading man said, stepping before the women and glancing up at something on the wall ahead of them.  


As Anukai turned her attention to the wall, she quickly found that they appeared to be standing before some form of large console that took up nearly the entire wall. A moment later, a large rectangle of light came to life over it to the sound of a series of strange chimes.  


“Thank you, Darrius.”  


A moment later, an image began to form in the center of the light-rectangle. The hair on the back of Anukai’s neck stood on end as she began to realize that it was a face. Finally, the image of a man with a shaved head and strange, almost entirely dark eyes, save for a ring of light that outlined where the pupil should be, settled into place; although there was no corresponding body to go with the face, Anukai noted how it seemed to carry the impression of a physically imposing figure, complete with squared jaw and a hard, angular expression.  


“Remove their hoods.”  


Suddenly, the figures beside the four women ripped the hoods of their cloaks back, prompting Anukai to shake her head, glaring at the man beside her before turning her attention back to the image of the face as the lights in the room began to grow brighter, until the space was more easily visible.  


A set of large windows were placed in the wall to their right, partially covered by long curtains that stretched from the ceiling far over their heads to the floor, while the other three, remaining walls were lined with even more consoles. Other than that, however, the room appeared to be mostly barren, with dark, painted walls and minimal lights, other than the ones from overhead that were currently set just enough to see the travelling women by, but not as bright as the ones at the entrance to the city.  


“Two Alpha specimens,” the face made of light before them said, seemingly staring down at Anukai and Aloy specifically, although its face seemed to contort in something like confusion. “Readings indicate augmentation.”  


The Banuk redhead felt her heart rate begin to skyrocket, once again, as one of the figures that had led her into the room suddenly stepped forward, grabbing her left arm. Before she had a chance to react, he had ripped the glove free, revealing the metal appendage beneath. The leader of the group that had led them from the pub raised his eyebrows slightly as he stared down at her arm before looking back up at her.  


“Confirmed, Alpha specimen was present at remote facility operation one week ago,” the face said. “Injury and augmentation is in accordance with reports from remote unit.”  


Anukai’s jaw clenched as she glared back at the man who had taken her glove, quickly reaching forward and ripping it from his hands. The figure moved to lunge toward her, but the leader quickly intervened, shouting something at him that prompted the other figure to pause, before begrudgingly backing away.  


“Don’t damage the goods,” the leader continued, smirking as he glanced at Anukai before turning back to the light-face before them.  


“By extension,” the face continued, “logic concludes that specimens were involved in the recent destruction of Advance Outpost Gamma.”  


The figure beside Anukai shifted at that, his grip tightening on her arm as she tried to keep her attention both on the light-face and him.  


“Both feats are impressive for such a small group,” the image before them continued, “however only the true Alpha specimen is required.”  


Anukai’s heart seemed to come to a stop as confusion creased her face, her head whipping around to find Aloy looking back at her with a pale, somewhat horrified expression.  


“Dispose of the younger specimen, and ensure the Alpha specimen reaches Omega Base intact.”  


The figure to Anukai’s right suddenly released her, only for the other man to grab her left arm, once again, holding her in place. She struggled against his grip, but he quickly also grabbed her right arm, pulling both of them behind her back and spinning her to face the other figure. As he did, a sharp blow to the back of her knees sent her staggering to the ground; with her arms held behind her, she didn’t have time to stop herself as she slammed into the hard floor, a grunt of pain bursting from her.  


The grip on her arms instantly disappeared and she began to push herself to her hands and knees, only for the sound of a loud, metallic clicking to come from inches above her head and she froze. She didn’t have to look up to understand the barrel of the other figure’s weapon was pointed directly at her head. The sounds of scuffling came from behind her, but by how the other figures didn’t react, she assumed that whoever had started it was not about to break free.  


Suddenly, a strange, red light appeared from Anukai’s left, bathing the room in a vaguely menacing glow, as the sound of the light-face’s voice began to echo about the room, but she quickly noted that it appeared to be garbled and distorted.  


“What in the…?”  


She spared a glance to her left to find that the face appeared to be flickering, parts of it sliding in and out of place as sections seemed to blink and disappear entirely for a moment or two.  


“Sig—si—signal—interrupt—”  


Suddenly, the rectangle of light seemed to disappear, leaving the room in a strange, still silence. Anukai remained silent as she slowly lifted her head to find the barrel of the figure’s weapon still aimed at her, but his gaze kept flicking between her and where the light-face had been moments ago.  


“What just happened?” the leader of the figures snapped.  


“Interference from the storm?” one of the others suggested.  


A moment later, the large square of light flickered to life, once again, The figures all jumped only for the room to freeze, once again, as a face appeared inside the shape.  


“System override in place.”  


Anukai froze, as well, her eyes widening as her head whipped toward the display, only to find a familiar face staring back at her.  


“What the hell is this?” the leader of the group demanded, glaring back at the captive women before turning back to the display.  


“I am GAIA.”  


Suddenly, Anukai burst into motion, reaching up with her left arm to grip the barrel of the figure’s weapon and yank it away from her head. As she did, it suddenly fired with a resounding bang, prompting her to close her eyes against the sharp pain that rang in her ears, but she otherwise didn’t feel any white-hot points of pain on her body. Instead, she pulled forward with all of her strength.  


Almost immediately, the weapon seemed to come loose from the man’s grip as she also heard him stagger toward her. Seizing her moment further, she rolled to her right, opening her eyes as she brought the man’s weapon back around, swinging it like some kind of spear or sword at his legs. The metal weapon slammed into his kneecaps and immediately sent him tumbling to the floor as shouting began to rise around her.  


Anukai used her momentum to roll onto her knees, gripping the weapon with her other hand, as well, and glancing around at the figures before her. The one who had previously thrown her to the ground stared back at her in stunned surprise for a moment or two before Anukai suddenly charged forward, holding the weapon lengthwise before her.  


A moment later, she slammed into him, using the weapon to add extra weight against his chest as she shoved him backward. The man quickly fell to the floor as she spun the metal weapon around, raising it over her head before bringing the hilt of it down on the momentarily stunned figure. A sickening crack sounded as it found its target, but Anukai didn’t spare a second glance as she quickly lifted it free, glancing around the room.  


The others in her group had seized similar opportunities and had begun fighting off their captors. Anukai’s gaze quickly fell on Ikrie, who had managed to get one arm free from the figures that held her, using her free hand to grab her knife from her belt and drive it into one of their sides. The younger redhead quickly glanced to her right, finding the first man she had knocked down beginning to rise from the ground, so she quickly attempted to hold the metal weapon as the merchant had instructed her earlier.  


The metal contraption felt awkward and heavy in her hands while she tried to ignore the warm, wet feeling that coated the portion that came to rest against her shoulder. As she brought the barrel of the weapon toward the downed figure, she heard someone else yelling above the rest and glanced up to find the leader of the group with his single-hand version of the weapon aimed at her, jaw set.  


Just then, the light in the room seemingly disappeared, leaving them in near-total darkness, with the only light being the faint glow coming through the large windows on the far wall, but it did little other than highlight the vague silhouettes of the thrashing bodies before her. As suddenly as the lights had gone out, however, Anukai’s Focus came to life, only for strange, white outlines of light to appear around all of the various figures and surfaces.  


“You can see, while they cannot.”  


At the sound of GAIA’s voice in her ear, she suddenly realized exactly what had just happened. Clenching her jaw, she quickly slipped several steps to her right, putting her out of the direct path of the leader’s aim. At the sound of her footsteps, however, he fired his weapon, resulting in another loud bang echoing about the room. Anukai lifted her stolen weapon, once again, aiming the tip of the barrel as best she could toward the outline she knew to be the leader.  


With a deep breath, her right index finger instinctually found its way over the weapon’s trigger, pausing for only a moment before squeezing it. The weapon kicked back into her shoulder with a good amount of force, prompting her to wince at the blow, but felt like barely anything compared to the ear-splitting volume of the weapon’s discharge.  


As her gaze settled on the image she knew to be the leader, she found him staggering backward, waving his own weapon wildly moments before he began to fire, seemingly at random. Anukai quickly aimed her weapon, once again, squeezing the trigger two more times, until the shape of the man slumped to the floor.  


The sounds of other weapons beginning to discharge echoed about the room, and Anukai quickly ducked into a kneeling position, hoping to make herself at least somewhat of a smaller target. As she did, however, her gaze locked on the image of the figure on the floor, the one who had tried to execute her moments ago, now attempting to crawl away, rather than truly lift himself, again. Clenching her jaw, yet again, she aimed her weapon at him and squeezed the trigger several times until he lay still, as well.  


Finally, she turned her attention back to the rest of the fight, only to find the outlines of bodies thrashing about with no easily distinguishable features about them to help her determine friend or foe. With a growl, she lowered the stolen weapon, dropping it on the ground before rising to her feet, once again.  


“GAIA, any way to tell me who’s who?”  


A moment later, the shape of three figures appeared amidst the chaos, highlighted in blue. With a quick nod, Anukai drew her knife from her belt and rushed toward the group closest to her. As she reached them, she quickly grabbed the first figure outlined in white with her left hand, pulling them backward as hard as she could. The figure fell to the ground with a yelp of surprise, only for Anukai to quickly kneel atop them, holding them in place as she slashed her blade across where she knew their throat to be. The feeling of a warm liquid spread across the back of her hand and her arm at the motion, however she quickly pushed past it, leaping to her feet to find the orange-outlined figure finally managing to overpower their attacker, swinging their right arm past their side to the sound of a cry of pain from the white-outlined figure.  


As the attacker fell to the floor, Anukai approached the marked figure carefully, making sure to remain a yard or so away.  


“It’s Anukai, don’t swing at me,” she hissed, bracing herself just in case they took a swing, anyway.  


The orange-tinged figure paused before standing up straight.  


“Anukai?” Ikrie’s voice replied and the redhead heaved a sigh of relief, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the other huntress.  


Ikrie quickly returned the embrace before they both broke apart, once again.  


“I heard those weapons fire and…” the dark-haired huntress whispered in her ear, trailing off as the redhead felt her hands shaking on her shoulders.  


“Didn’t hit me,” Anukai replied, smirking. “Come on, let’s get the rest. GAIA?”  


“I have marked Aloy and Talanah similarly for Ikrie.”  


“Don’t hurt the orange people.”  


“The… the orange people… got it…”  


With that, the Banuk huntresses rushed toward the remaining fights, each of them breaking off toward a separate orange figure. As Anukai approached the group on her right, she crouched down, narrowly avoiding a wide swing from one of the white-outlined figures, before swinging her knife at the back of where she figured their knee to be. Her aim was confirmed when the figure let out a scream of pain and fell to the floor, the orange-colored figure quickly falling atop them and swinging their right arm toward the other figure’s neck.  


A splash of warm liquid sprayed across Anukai’s face from the motion, and she quickly tried to wipe it away, but it only seemed to smear further. As she glanced back up at the figures, she saw the white-outlined one on the other side of her ally beginning to rise from the ground, their position clearly indicating that they were raising a weapon, as well. The Banuk redhead quickly lunged forward, using the orange figure to throw herself onto the enemy, forcing their weapon up toward the ceiling, as she did.  


The enemy figure’s weapon didn’t discharge, but they quickly tried to swing it at the side of Anukai’s head, however the redhead was faster, holding up her left arm at the last moment. The weapon hit it with a loud clang, and Anukai shivered at the strange sensation of feeling the item make contact with her while only the faintest hint of pain registered in the back of her mind. Instead, she quickly spun her grip around, grabbing the weapon and ripping it from the combatant’s hands, tossing it aside before shifting her grip on her knife in her right hand and slashing it across the figure’s throat, as well.  


She barely registered the spray of hot liquid, this time, as she scrambled to her feet, whirling toward the last group of figures, only to find both of the orange-outlined ones standing above the two still forms of their attackers.  


“I think… that’s all of them,” Anukai panted.  


A moment later, the lights began to raise in the room, once again, and the Banuk redhead was able to see the true scope of the carnage. Most of the floor was now covered in a fine layer of vermilion blood, her boots squelching in it slightly as she tentatively lifted one foot as she glanced down at it.  


As she turned back to the figure behind her, she found Talanah beginning to rise to her feet, and she quickly offered a hand to her. The Carja took it, using Anukai’s grip to help pull herself to her feet before groaning and rolling her shoulders.  


“Been a little while,” she sighed. “Thanks, Anukai.”  


The redhead nodded before turning back to the other two, finding Aloy nodding at her with a similar expression of thanks, while Ikrie seemed to be staring at her with a conflicted expression. Anukai’s face creased in confusion before she glanced down at herself, only to note how her cloak had become soaked with an entirely different liquid. The redhead swallowed nervously before glancing back up at Ikrie, sheathing her knife and attempting to run the back of one hand over face, only to find that it was still warm and slick to the touch.  


The Banuk redhead quickly turned away from the dark-haired huntress, searching for something to wipe at her face, but every part of her seemed coated in shades of red, providing no clean or clear options. A moment later, she heard footsteps approaching and glanced over to find Aloy and Ikrie approaching. The older women quickly embraced while the dark-haired Banuk came to a stop beside Anukai, glancing down at herself to see the much fewer instances of red stains that covered her clothing. The redhead’s jaw clenched as she began to turn away, only for a hand to grip her left arm. When she glanced over, she found Ikrie staring back at her, jaw set, before nodding.  


“You’re alive,” she said softly.  


“You, too.”  


“Thanks to you.”  


With that, Ikrie finally stepped forward, wrapping the younger redhead in an embrace, once again. As Anukai returned it, she noted how her hands left trails of crimson across the back of the dark-haired girl’s cloak, but she held on, anyway. A few moments later, they broke apart, the redhead offering a tight-lipped smile before Ikrie took part of her cloak in her hand and wiped it across her face, prompting Anukai to squeeze her eyes closed. The fabric of the cloak was rough against her skin, but several moments later, Ikrie stopped, sighing. When the redhead opened her eyes, once again, she noted how red the section of the cloak in the dark-haired girl’s hand was and she grimaced.  


“We do what we have to,” Ikrie said softly. “I just… forgot.”  


Anukai nodded before the dark-haired girl pressed a quick kiss to her lips, pulling away a moment later and offering another small smile. With that, they turned to face the rectangle of light that still covered the far wall, the image of GAIA’s concerned face staring down at them.  


“I apologize for not calculating another way to resolve the situation,” the AI said.  


“It’s okay, GAIA,” Aloy sighed, coming to a stop beside Anukai. “Not everything can be negotiated peacefully, I’m afraid.”  


The older redhead glanced over at Anukai, nodding as a sad smile tugged at her lips.  


“I saw you go down after it—it ordered…” she trailed off, pausing before swallowing heavily. “I’m glad to see you still on your feet.”  


The Banuk redhead nodded in response, but otherwise remained silent as Aloy cleared her throat and turned back to the image of GAIA.  


“How did you gain access?” the older redhead asked, bracing her hands on her hips.  


“The AI that these individuals referred to as ‘the Controller’ attempted to access your Focus devices, and as such, the signals for each of you spiked significantly,” GAIA explained. “I was able to pinpoint your location and actually use the AI’s own query to essentially reverse this process, thus infiltrating its programming, instead.”  


“So… do you control the city now, or… what?” Talanah asked.  


“Not exactly. I do not anticipate that I will retain control of this signal for long, however I have been able to investigate its various sub-systems.”  


“Find anything useful?” Aloy replied, raising her eyebrows.  


“The Controller AI was attempting to send a signal to another remote location,” GAIA explained, her expression changing to a frown. “I believe it was attempting to communicate with the city and the mountain on the coast, where the original signal that attacked me originated.”  


“We’re pretty sure that these people are rallied under some… version of Ted Faro,” the older redhead explained. “That doesn’t surprise me that it would attempt to contact him, perhaps.”  


“Knowing this, that does not seem out of the question to me, either,” GAIA replied, frowning. “Aloy, there was something in particular about the message it was attempting to send, however.”  


“Oh?”  


“It mentioned ‘additional Alpha specimens’, as in more than—”  


Suddenly, the image of GAIA flickered, but didn’t entirely disappear.  


“GAIA, get out of here,” Aloy said quickly. “We don’t need you in harm’s way.”  


“Another si—signal is a-a-a-ttempting—” the image of GAIA stuttered, before the panel of light suddenly disappeared, leaving them in a near-stunned silence.  


The soft sounds of raindrops on the nearby windows were the only ones that filled the room for several long moments before the panel of light reappeared, but no image appeared in the center of it. Anukai glanced to Aloy apprehensively before the sound of another equally familiar voice filled the room, prompting both of them to freeze, eyes widening.  


“Shame… it appears I just missed her.”  


As they turned back to the panel of light, once again, a face materialized in the center of it, a smirk firmly set on its features.  


“I was so hoping that I could catch up with an old friend.”  


The image of an older redhead’s face, nearly identical to Aloy’s, now stared down at them, although Anukai quickly noted the difference in hair style and the hints of a gray jacket at her shoulders that were distinctly not like the older huntress’s own.  


“You… _you’re_ Omega?” Aloy snapped, taking an aggressive step forward.  


“Me? Now that’s insulting,” the image of the AI Elisabet replied, laughing. “I am not, but I have… familiarized myself with this system. Funny… Omega was built like a back door into the network I created… but now I have the keys to the back door of the Omega network. Alpha access goes a long way, now.”  


The older huntress continued to glare up at the image of the smirking redhead above her, while Anukai felt a twinge of fire beginning to burn in her chest, as well. A moment later, the image of Elisabet’s gaze switched to her, however, and the Banuk redhead felt her heart rate skyrocket.  


“Well, I see that my request fell through,” she said. “Do they know why you showed up in Meridian?”  


“Yes, we do,” Aloy snapped.  


“Excuse me, I was talking to Anukai,” Elisabet said, turning back to her with a contemptuous glare.  


“You leave her out of whatever the fuck it is between us,” the older huntress snapped.  


“You mean how you betrayed me and locked me in a mountain for twenty-five years?!” the AI redhead spat. “Now, it seems you’ve managed to seduce poor Anukai with your attitude, as well, which is really a shame, because I thought she had it in her to be your superior successor.”  


The Banuk redhead remained silent, glaring up at the familiar image of the redhead in the rectangle of light overhead as she smirked down at her.  


“Anyway, I did want to talk to all of you, though,” the image of Elisabet said, turning her gaze around the group, in turn. “I know that you’re trying to get to the coast, and I know what you’re looking for here. You see, we are after the same thing, after all… more or less.”  


“So… you’re here to gloat how you won?” Aloy spat.  


“Not exactly,” the image of Elisabet replied. “I was—kidnapped, in a sense—and brought here. While I do have quite a bit of access to the system, there are some things I cannot do on my own. I miss my bot, you know… it made things so much easier.”  


“You’re proposing that we help you?” Anukai interjected, her eyebrows raising.  


“Help each other,” the older, holographic redhead replied. “You don’t want the threat of the Omega system to come after GAIA again, and I’m sure you’d very much appreciate it not trying to actively kill you, and I would like to not be a digital prisoner.”  


The group of travelling women exchanged dubious glances before turning back to the image of Elisabet.  


“As you’ve seen, I do have some access to the system, and I can help you get into this city, the Port they seem to call it, but from there… well, that’s where I need you to do the leg work.”  


Anukai and Aloy exchanged exasperated looks as the image of Elisabet laughed.  


“Sorry, I couldn’t resist,” she said. “So… what say you all?”  


All four women exchanged glances, none of them looking particularly convinced.  


“I’m offering you a back door into this city,” Elisabet continued. “Are you really going to say—?”  


She was suddenly interrupted as her image flickered and disappeared, much like GAIA’s and the Controller’s had before, leaving the room in an uneasy silence. After several long moments, Aloy cleared her throat.  


“I think that might be our hint to—”  


The older redhead was interrupted by the rectangle of light suddenly flashing a blinding white before returning to a neutral blue color, although the center now seemed to show some kind of strange, undulating line.  


“Getting closer. Don’t worry… I’m patient. Be seeing you soon.”  


Aloy instantly grew tense as the color seemed to drain from her face at the sound of the new voice. It was distinctly not Elisabet’s or GAIA’s, as it seemed masculine, but it was also much more natural sounding than the Controller’s had been. The hair on the back of Anukai’s neck stood on end as the realization that it was likely not an AI came over her and she felt her hands curling into fists at her sides.  


“At least one of you, that is.”  


Suddenly, the sound of several, synthetic chimes came from behind them and the four women whirled in place just as doors to several of the elevators just outside the blood-soaked room opened, revealing more Enforcers in dark armor and holding weapons at the ready.  


“Ahead!”  


“We need the older red-hair alive!”  


With a growl, Anukai began to draw her bow from over her shoulders, only for a small, orange projectile to suddenly fly past her, toward the dark-clad figures. The redhead watched as the bomb landed directly in front of the first line of attackers, emitting a burst of heat and sound that prompted all four women to recoil while the screams of the Enforcers echoed about the room. Anukai spared a quick glance to her right to find Ikrie with her sling still raised, the strap empty, now.  


“Heads up!” Aloy snapped, hitting Anukai on the shoulder and bringing her attention back to the small lobby where some of the Enforcers were beginning to get to their feet, once again. “Only way out is to push through!”  


With that, the other three drew their bows, nocking arrows to them and taking aim at the Enforcers. Several of them glanced up, only to scramble to raise their weapons just before the first volley of arrows fell upon them. Anukai noted how one of hers found its mark in the neck of one of the men, sending him sprawling on to his back as he dropped his weapon and reached toward the wound that had already begun to gush a torrent of vermilion blood.  


The huntresses quickly finished off the remaining Enforcers before Talanah ordered them forward, leading the way as she ran into the lobby, pressing one of the buttons that Anukai had seen the Enforcers use to call the elevators earlier. Immediately, one of the doors to their right slid open, and the four women hurried inside, squeezing into the relatively tight space as best they could before the doors slid closed.  


“Which floor?”  


“Ground,” Aloy replied.  


“That’s where most of them will be.”  


“It’s also our best way out of a building we don’t know the layout of.”  


Talanah nodded, quickly jabbing the lowest button on a panel just inside the door. A moment later, Anukai felt the familiar, light feeling appear in her stomach as the elevator began to rapidly descend.  


“Be ready when those doors open,” the Carja woman said.  


The Banuk redhead noted how Ikrie swallowed nervously, as she was the closest to the elevator doors, her body tensing a moment later. As the elevator slowed to a stop and a synthetic chime sounded, Ikrie quickly grabbed her knife from her belt, holding it at the ready just as the doors slid open. To their surprise and relief, the room beyond was empty, however the dark-haired huntress still moved carefully, leaning her head out of the doorway and glancing both directions before nodding.  


“No one here.”  


“Not for long…” Aloy muttered. “Now’s our chance. Let’s go.”  


With that, the four women quickly exited the elevator, turning the way they remembered entering earlier and heading for the front counter and the entrance beyond it. As they entered this front room, however, they found the counter was empty, the few people who had worked behind it now missing.  


“Can’t be good…” Anukai muttered.  


Suddenly, the sound of a heavy, metallic clanking brought all of their attentions to the front entrance, all four women quickly freezing as Anukai swore her heart stopped for a moment. Two of the smaller Corruptors, like the one from the bunker in the desert, slipped through the doorway, their spindly legs easily finding purchase in the narrow hallway, even as they moved over both the floor and the walls beside them, as need be.  


“Really not good,” Aloy growled. “Run!”  


Ikrie glanced around for a moment before Talanah quickly shoved her forward, along another hallway perpendicular to the entrance. As they began to run, however, Ikrie quickly slid her knife into its sheath and grabbed her sling, again, stepping to the side to allow the others to pass her before lobbing the projectile toward the advancing machines. Anukai glanced back to see it land at the entrance to the hallway, seemingly a good yard or two short of them, and she skidded to a halt, a mixture of confusion and fear gripping her.  


As Ikrie turned to hurry after her, the redhead finally realized what she had intended to do. The ceiling of the entryway began to cave in, pouring debris into the hallway and effectively providing at least a momentary obstruction for the advancing machines. A smirk tugged at Anukai’s lips as Ikrie reached her and she fell in step, both huntresses taking off at a run after the older women ahead of them.  


Aloy and Talanah had already reached the end of the hallway and spun around the corner to their right, the younger huntresses aiming to follow suit. Just before they reached it, however, the sounds of crashing and a strange, bleating call came from behind them, although neither dared to break their pace. When they reached the corner, Anukai spared a glance over her shoulder to see that the machines had already made their way past Ikrie’s obstruction and were hurrying down the hall after them.  


The Banuk redhead cursed under her breath as she extended her right hand, using the wall, itself, on the corner to help swing herself around it. Her boots slipped for a step or two on the floor before Ikrie grabbed hold of her arm, steadying her so they could both resume their sprinting pace after the images of Aloy and Talanah ahead of them. Anukai noted that the Carja woman had shouldered a door open, coming to a stop to glance back just inside of it.  


The Banuk huntresses redoubled their efforts to sprint toward the opening as the Carja allowed Aloy to slip inside before drawing her bow, nocking an arrow and aiming toward the hallway behind them. Anukai and Ikrie moved to either side as Talanah loosed the arrow, the projectile whistling past them before a metallic clunk sounded from what seemed to be far too close behind them.  


Shortly after, a loud whirring sound filled the air before a loud boom echoed down the hallway, a shockwave washing over the Banuk huntresses and causing Anukai to stumble for a moment before she collided with Ikrie and the two of them managed to somehow keep each other on their feet. Several moments later, they reached the doorway and tumbled through it, both girls nearly running into Aloy just inside before Talanah slammed the door behind them.  


“Go! Up!” the older redhead barked, shoving the girls toward a set of stairs nearby.  


Anukai took the lead, charging up the steps as quickly as she could, even as she could feel the burn and fatigue setting into her limbs already. Just as she reached a landing on what appeared to be second floor, the sound of a loud bang echoed from the floor below, the Banuk redhead pausing to glance back down toward the doorway only to be shoved forward by Ikrie a moment later.  


“Onto this floor!” she panted.  


The redhead clambered for the door handle, finding it a moment later before shouldering the door open, staggering for several steps into the hallway beyond before Ikrie caught her and held her upright as they continued to race forward. The second floor of the building appeared to be nearly identical to the first, with gray walls and nondescript doors along the various walls. Anukai glanced to her right and noted that large windows seemed to run along the entire wall, revealing nothing but what appeared to be a darkened side of another building.  


A moment later, the Banuk huntresses skidded to a halt at the corner of the hallway, glancing back to find the older women also coming to a stop behind them.  


“We’re higher from the ground,” Ikrie panted. “Where do we go now?”  


Aloy and Talanah exchanged glances before also turning toward the windows beside them.  


“Across?”  


“Across.”  


The Banuk huntresses stared at them in confusion before the older women quickly began to force them along the hallway perpendicular to the one they had originally entered.  


“Try another level up, let’s go!”  


Anukai staggered for a moment before finding her purchase on the tile floor and charging down the second hallway. After only a few steps, the sound of more crashing and metal tearing echoed after them, but the Banuk redhead kept her gaze focused on the end of the hallway ahead of her, images of a deadly, pointed arm raising above her flashing before her eyes. Several blinks later, she found herself pushing off the far wall and charging toward yet another door ahead of her. This time, Ikrie reached it first, shoving it open as Anukai tumbled through it, catching herself on a railing that ran up and down the staircase before glancing back to find Aloy and Talanah just reaching the doorway, as well.  


“What do you mean across?” Anukai panted.  


“Rooftop to rooftop,” Talanah replied, slamming the door closed behind her. “Get away from this building.”  


“Wait… like… jump?!” Ikrie shot back.  


“Ground floor wasn’t our way out,” Aloy replied, “so we improvise.”  


The dark-haired Banuk glanced toward Anukai as the younger redhead simply shook her head.  


“Don’t have much of a choice.”  


Ikrie swallowed nervously but nodded, leading the way up the next set of stairs as the first hints of the loud clanking and whirring began to make their way through the closed door. The rest of the group quickly followed suit, quickly reaching the next floor as the dark-haired Banuk shoved the door open, stepping into the hallway and glancing to the left before turning back to them.  


“No way across.”  


Anukai simply nodded in response, leading the way up the stairs, once again. As she was halfway to the next floor, the sound of a loud bang echoed up the stairwell, prompting the younger redhead to stop, leaning over the railing in the center to glance down toward the source of the sound. As she did, the only thing she saw was a red glow from the floor where they had originally entered. A moment later, the glow suddenly turned into a bright red light suddenly seemed to shine up at her from the center of the stairwell.  


The younger redhead’s eyes widened as she found her grip tightening around the railing, rather than releasing it. A sharp pain began to build in her left shoulder as she felt an icy feeling begin to spread from the center of her chest. Just as she realized the red light appeared to be growing brighter and larger, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and ripped her away from the railing, shoving her toward the next set of stairs.  


Within a few blinks, she found the rigidity that had settled over herself moments ago was completely gone, replaced instead with a frantic urgency as she tore after the figure ahead of her. A few moments later, she saw one of the two people ahead of her throwing open a door and she caught Ikrie’s face in the light that spilled through from the hallway beyond. As the dark-haired Banuk raced through the doorway, shoving the door, itself, open behind her, allowing for Aloy to catch it.  


Anukai nearly ran into her as she entered the hallway, quickly finding that the space beyond was very similar to the other floors they had seen, although the redhead noted quickly that several of the doors were open. Several yards ahead, Ikrie had jumped out of the way of one of the open doorways as a figure seemed to recoil from her, as well. The Banuk redhead quickly raced forward, prepared for the worst, however the startled figure seemed to slip back into the room, slamming the door behind them.  


As Anukai came to a stop beside Ikrie as the dark-haired huntress glanced back at her, a look of confusion on her face for a moment before the older women suddenly barreled straight into them.  


“Don’t stop!” Talanah commanded, pushing the younger redhead forward.  


Just as they took off running, once again, the sound of the door to the stairwell behind them flying open echoed down the hallway, prompting Anukai to redouble her efforts to sprint ahead. As they came to a turn in the hallway ahead of them, the Banuk redhead went to turn to the right, only for Aloy to throw open one of the doors directly ahead of them, glancing inside before waving frantically.  


“In here, now!”  


Anukai skidded to a stop before attempting to reverse direction, racing for the open doorway as the sounds of the machine tearing down the hallway grew even closer. As soon as she slipped through the doorway, she found Aloy standing with her bow drawn, aiming back toward the mechanized pursuer. A moment later, she loosed the arrow nocked to it, a familiar metallic clunking sound echoing in through the open doorway.  


As the younger redhead glanced back, the tearblast arrow lodged in the small corruptor exploded, shattering windows along the hallway and throwing the door open even wider, the portal banging off the wall beside it as Talanah staggered into the room, pressing one hand against her right ear.  


“You okay?” Aloy asked frantically, slinging her bow over her shoulders before rushing to Talanah, placing a hand on her shoulder.  


“Yeah, yeah, just… very loud,” the Carja muttered. “We’ve got to keep going.”  


The older redhead nodding, turning back to the Banuk huntresses and nodding toward the far wall.  


“There’s our escape.”  


Anukai whirled around to find a window set into the far wall, but her gaze quickly focused on what was beyond it. Unlike the hallways they had raced through earlier, the view beyond the room they had ended up in revealed what appeared to be the rooftop of a building directly ahead of them.  


A moment later, the older redhead had grabbed a chair from beside her and threw it at the window. The glass cracked, but didn’t immediately shatter, prompting Ikrie to grab the piece of furniture from where it had fallen to the floor and swing it with as much force as she could. This time, the glass finally gave way, the majority of the broken shards flying out of the room, but quite a few pieces still cascaded onto the floor just inside the now open portal.  


Anukai quickly rushed to Ikrie’s side, both girls glancing through the window to find that the gap to the next building seemed to be farther than they had first anticipated, as the street they had been led down earlier lay between them and their goal.  


“I don’t know if I could jump that,” the redhead panted.  


“Me neither.”  


The sounds of the machine in the hallway behind them resuming its charge after them quickly prompted both to glance back for a split second before Anukai turned back to the open window, suddenly noting something just outside it. A metal walkway was fixed to the outside of the building, beginning just below the window’s level and continuing off to their right.  


It wasn’t much, but it wasn’t facing down one of the small corruptors again, either.  


“There, out the window,” she commanded.  


“What? We just said—”  


A moment later, Anukai had hopped into the window frame, dropping onto the walkway to the sound of softly groaning metal, her boots slipping on the slick metal for a moment. She paused for a heartbeat, waiting to see if the metal construction began to give way, but it seemed to be holding for the moment. When she glanced back toward Ikrie, she saw the other girl with a look of revelation on her face before climbing into the window, as well.  


As she moved to hop onto the walkway, Anukai began to move farther along it, glancing down toward the street to find the shapes of quite a few dark figures standing in it. She swore one of them glanced up toward them, but quickly turned her attention to the walkway ahead as she continued along it. Just as she was roughly halfway across the front of the building, several loud bangs sounded from below, followed shortly thereafter by the sounds of something pinging off the metal construction, prompting her to drop into a crouch, lowering her head.  


“They’re Enforcers!” Ikrie called from behind her.  


Clenching her jaw, Anukai quickly burst forward, running along the metal walkway as fast as she dared, her boots still occasionally slipping or not finding as full of purchase as she would like, but she soon reached the end of said walkway, and the corner of the building. With a grunt, she caught herself on a railing at the edge, staring across the side street ahead of her to another, shorter building. A moment later, Ikrie skidded to a halt behind her, bracing one hand against the redhead’s back to slow her momentum.  


“ _That’s_ our escape,” Anukai panted, nodding ahead of them.  


“Still a good jump from here,” Ikrie shot back.  


“That’s why we go around.”  


A moment later, Anukai had slipped under the railing of the walkway, carefully stepping onto a narrow, stone ledge that appeared to run around the corner of the building. As she reached the corner, she carefully adjusted her position, turning to face the building, itself, and pressing her hands against its side, carefully reaching one foot around the bend. A moment later, she had managed to drag herself farther along the ledge, coming to a stop outside one of the windows along the new side of the building.  


The Banuk redhead used the slightly larger space afforded by the small alcove for the window to turn herself around, her back now facing the glass surface. Her gaze quickly fell on the rooftop ahead of her, trying to gauge the actual distance between herself and it before taking a deep breath. Although she heard the sounds of Ikrie shuffling around the corner beside her, she didn’t turn to look, but instead pressed forward, using the ledge, itself, to plant her foot and throw herself into the open air.  


As the ground fell away beneath her, a sinking feeling appeared in her stomach, her heart seemingly coming to a sudden halt as she watched the rooftop ahead of her grow closer. Her legs pumped beneath her, as if she could somehow propel herself farther through their motion, all while she reached toward the steadily rising edge of the rooftop. As she seemed to be closing the last foot or so, she noted how the rooftop, itself, had already raised to just above her waist, only to feel the full brunt of the impact hit her in the center of her torso a moment later.  


Her arms quickly came down atop the stone ledge at the very edge of the rooftop, her fingers managing to wrap over the far side as she came to a sudden, jerking halt. Pain shot across her shoulders as she let out a loud grunt, her jaw clenching. Her feet scrabbled on the stone side of the building, seeking some kind of purchase, but none seemed to be available.  


A moment later, however, she took a deep breath, focusing on pulling herself up primarily with her left hand, and she began to feel herself rising steadily toward the lip of the ledge. Once her waist began to draw close to the lip, she used her momentum to swing one leg up and over it, finally using the combined force to throw herself up and over the ledge and onto the rooftop, itself. The redhead landed with a grunt on the hard, yet unmistakably stable, surface, remaining still for a moment or two before scrambling to her feet, whirling to face the building she had just leapt from to find Ikrie bracing herself to follow suit.  


Aloy and Talanah were just beginning to make their way around the side of the building, while Anukai noted how the Carja woman appeared to be gesturing to her. She could see Talanah’s lips moving, but couldn’t hear what she was saying, so she moved closer to the edge of the rooftop. Finally, as the raven-haired huntress fully rounded the corner of the building, Anukai was able to make out one of the words.  


“Shoot!”  


She followed Talanah’s gesture to find the small Corruptor had exited the window, as well, and was beginning to make its way along the metal walkway they had used a moment ago, its red eye seemingly locked directly on Anukai. As her jaw clenched tightly, the Banuk redhead drew her bow, quickly grabbing a tearblast arrow from her own quiver and nocking it. A moment later, she had drawn the bowstring, taken aim, and loosed the arrow toward the machine.  


The projectile lodged itself in the glowing red eye, prompting the attacker to recoil for a moment. A second later, as it began to resume its pursuit, the tearblast finally erupted, sending a powerful shockwave that ripped through the metal construction. Almost immediately, the sounds of shrieking and tearing metal began to fill the air, but Anukai held her bow at the ready, still. As she watched, the small Corruptor attempted to find a hold on the edge of the building, itself, but its motions seemed somewhat uncoordinated as the metal walkway gave way beneath it, the combination of the damage from the tearblast explosion and the machine’s own weight too much for it.  


A grin tugged at Anukai’s lips as she watched the pitch-black machine finally tear through what remained of the walkway and begin to fall toward the street below. A victorious cry escaped her as she quickly slung her bow back over her shoulders and turned her attention back to the others in her group. As she did, she locked eyes with Ikrie and the dark-haired huntress nodded, bracing herself to make the jump to the rooftop with Anukai.  


As she pushed off of the building, however, the redhead quickly realized that she didn’t have quite the same momentum that she had managed with her leap, and she quickly rushed to the very edge of the rooftop, holding her left hand outstretched. Ikrie’s arms flailed for a moment or two as Anukai felt her heart stop at the sight of her beginning to sink below the edge of the building.  


A moment later, Ikrie’s hands found Anukai’s metal fingers and she quickly grabbed hold of them, throwing her right arm forward, as well to try to grab the dark-haired huntress’s wrist. The Banuk redhead was nearly pulled over the ledge of the rooftop, but she managed to brace herself at the last moment and prevent them from both tumbling the several stories to the street below.  


Anukai took a deep breath before beginning to pull upward on Ikrie’s hand, eventually bringing her within reach of the rooftop ledge, where she was able to get a grip of her own. The redhead released her, stepping aside to allow the dark-haired huntress to drag herself up and onto the rooftop with her, letting out a heavy sigh as she landed on the solid ground beside her. They exchanged quick glances before both nodding, small, relieved smiles tugging at their lips.  


The sound of more loud bangs from the street below began to sound and both girls jumped, quickly glancing back toward the older women across from them. Aloy and Talanah had both crouched down as best they could on the ledge, clearly trying to press themselves as firmly against the building as they could. After a few moments, however, the bangs subsided as a chorus of angry voices replaced them, echoing up from the street.  


“Let’s go, _now_!” Anukai called to the older women, waving frantically.  


The older redhead rose to a standing position, once again, adjusting her position on the narrow ledge before visibly taking a deep breath. A moment later, she had pushed forward, using the stone ledge beneath her as Anukai had. As Aloy began to near the opposite rooftop, Anukai and Ikrie both reached over the edge, the older redhead grabbing hold of their hands to a chorus of pained grunts from all three. The combined strength of both Banuk huntresses quickly brought Aloy up and onto the rooftop, as well, the older redhead sighing as her feet hit the surface.  


Anukai quickly turned her attention back to Talanah as she and Ikrie held their hands out, as well. The Carja woman quickly rose to a standing position but cast a cautious glance toward the street below. Just as she did, Anukai’s eyes flicked past her to the glass of the window they had all used for the few extra inches of purchase before making their leaps. The space beyond was mostly dark, but she quickly noted that a rectangle of light now appeared inside it, off to the left side.  


Several loud bangs from the street below brought her attention back to Talanah as the Carja huntress flinched, crouching slightly for a moment before Aloy began to frantically wave for her to jump.  


“Come on! You’ve gotta go now!”  


The raven-haired huntress nodded, rising to a full standing position and taking a deep breath. As she did, however, Anukai’s eyes were drawn to something just over her right shoulder.  


A faint red glow.  


A moment later, the sound of shattering glass split the air as Talanah let out a surprised shout, her arms flailing as she appeared to tip on the stone ledge, but notably didn’t begin to fall forward.  


The Corruptor’s arm wrapped around her stomach prevented that.  


The Carja’s gaze quickly fell to the metal appendage, as well, a look of what could have been confusion creasing her face for a moment before it turned to fear as she glanced up toward the women across from her.  


Anukai felt like the world had slowed to a crawl as Talanah’s mouth opened as if to say something, only for time to return to its normal pace as the raven-haired Carja’s entire body was suddenly and violently pulled backward, disappearing into the darkness of the room behind her.


	11. Run Now, Figure It Out Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all.
> 
> It's Monday again.
> 
> Despite having quite the week and a better but no less time-consuming weekend, I somehow managed to finish this chapter.
> 
> Also, I wasn't sure going in how many chapters would actually be needed to reach the end of _The Rust_.... and it turns out the answer was one more.
> 
> So, therefore, welcome to the final chapter of this part. As stated before, though, this isn't the end of the whole series, as there's one more planned part in _The Devil Lies in the West_.
> 
> As always, the first chapter of that one is planned to be up next Monday.
> 
> For now, though, thank you for following along with this crazy ride so far, and enjoy the conclusion to _The Rust_.

The Banuk redhead thought she heard a scream echoing from the opening ahead of her, but she quickly realized that it was coming from beside her as she turned to find Aloy beginning to clamber atop the ledge at the edge of the roof, her scream still echoing off the buildings nearby. Anukai quickly leapt into motion, lunging forward and grabbing the older redhead before she could reach the ledge, dragging her backward even as she fought her to break free.  


A moment later, she finally managed to pull her back onto the roof, the older redhead landing atop her and sending both women to the ground. The wind left Anukai’s lungs as the older redhead’s elbow slammed into the center of her chest, and she felt her grip weakening as Aloy continued to thrash about.  


“Aloy… stop,” she rasped.  


“Let go of me!”  


A moment later, the older redhead finally managed to break free, scrambling to her feet, only to run directly into Ikrie, who managed to hold her back from the edge of the building.  


“Get out of my way!” she screamed, attempting to shove the dark-haired huntress out of the way.  


“They’re after _you_!” Ikrie snapped. “They want you to go after her!”  


“I’m _not_ leaving her!”  


“We’ll find her, but we need to get out of here first,” the dark-haired girl said, maintaining her grip, somehow, as Anukai dragged herself to her feet.  


As soon as she was upright, once again, the sound of a heavy, metallic clanking echoed across the room and all three women froze. The younger redhead’s eyes travelled to the edge of the roof for a moment before she quickly stepped forward, grabbing both of the other women and pulling them away from the edge.  


“We have to go, _now_.”  


Aloy seemed to snap out of her chance, trying to thrash out of Ikrie’s grip, once again, only to stop as the first spindly leg of the small Corruptor appeared over the edge of the roof, digging into the stone structure. As more of the leg attached to it began to appear over the ledge, Anukai began to tug on the other women more insistently.  


“Now, now, now!”  


Ikrie began to push Aloy forward, even as the older redhead continue to stare past the new machine toward the gaping opening in the side of the building across from them.  


“Aloy,” Anukai hissed, grabbing her shoulders and spinning her toward her, “we’ll find her. Right now, we have to live to do that. If they get you, we don’t know if she’ll live, anyway. As long as you’re alive—I’m alive—Ikrie’s alive—she has a chance— _we_ have a chance.”  


The older redhead seemed dazed for a moment before finally nodding, blinking rapidly, as well.  


“Run now—figure it out later.”  


A moment later, a heavy thud sounded from nearby and the Banuk redhead glanced toward the edge of the roof to find the body of the small Corruptor almost fully over the ledge, its red eye focused on the three women as its flexible arm began to coil behind it. Anukai suddenly turned to her right, throwing Aloy ahead of her as the sounds of the machine more quickly scrambling over the roof came from behind them.  


The Banuk redhead turned back as Ikrie began to charge toward her, although the redhead’s eyes quickly locked onto the Corruptor as it finally crested the building and reached the roof. Once again, the world seemed to slow down around her as she reached toward the dark-haired huntress, grabbing at one of the pouches on her belt. Anukai’s hand wrapped around one of the round objects inside before she ripped it out, squeezing the small button on the side of the bomb before turning back to the Corruptor and throwing it with all of her strength.  


Time returned to a normal speed as the bomb sailed through the air, slamming into the front of the machine with a burst of flames. The Corruptor let out some kind of bleating call as it staggered and nearly fell off the roof, but it was enough time for the redhead to spin on her heel, taking off after Ikrie and Aloy. The other women had already reached halfway across the rooftop ahead of her, although notably the dark-haired huntress had slowed somewhat, glancing back to make sure Anukai was following. As the Banuk redhead charged after her, the sounds of the machine recovering from the blow moments ago and skittering across the rooftop began to echo from behind her.  


As she heard the sounds of the heavy footsteps drawing within a yard or so, she quickly changed direction, dodging to her right as she caught Ikrie moving to the left. The sounds of Corruptor staggering past the redhead prompted her to duck her head slightly, raising her left arm as she swore she could feel something swing just over her back. A moment later, the sound of a tearblast arrow charging nearby prompted Anukai to quickly attempt to put distance between herself and the machine, only for the blast to finally occur, sending a shockwave outward that caused her to lose her footing for a moment.  


As soon as Anukai’s shoulder slammed into the rooftop, she grit her teeth, attempting to scramble to her feet, even as she could feel the pain spreading across her left side. Once again, she focused on the image of the older redhead ahead of her, who was just beginning to throw her bow back over her shoulders. The Banuk redhead locked eyes with her for a moment as she noted how Aloy’s jaw had clenched for a moment before she waved her on urgently.  


Anukai attempted to block out the sounds of the machine getting to its feet behind her as she charged toward the image of Aloy ahead of her. As she closed within the last few yards, she noted how Aloy turned around, stepping onto what appeared to be another ledge at the edge of the roof before jumping forward. Several seconds later, Anukai reached the same ledge and immediately leapt on top of it, her eyes locking on the rooftop directly across from them, where Aloy was still staggering from her landing.  


Without breaking step, the Banuk redhead pushed off the edge of the roof, leaping into the air over what appeared to be another alleyway below, although with her running start, the jump was much easier to make. When she landed, she also staggered for several steps before glancing back to find Ikrie landing behind her, although the dark-haired huntress seemed to slip and fall, crashing to the rooftop with a cry of pain. Anukai quickly ran back toward her, skidding to a halt as she extended a hand toward her.  


Ikrie quickly took hold of it, Anukai using as much of her strength in her left arm as she dared to help drag her to her feet, releasing her hand as soon as the dark-haired huntress was able to get her feet under her. A few moments later, the ground shook beneath them as the sounds of the Corruptor landing rang out across the rooftop. A shout quickly followed that prompted both Banuk huntresses to focus ahead of them, Anukai’s gaze quickly falling on the image of Aloy several yards ahead of them.  


The older redhead was standing in a doorway to what looked like some kind of small wooden building, waving for the Banuk girls to follow her. The younger redhead’s gaze slipped past her for a moment, however, to see several dark silhouettes on the top of the building behind her and she redoubled her efforts to pour on as much speed as she could muster, Ikrie seemingly doing the same. Just as they reached Aloy a moment later, the sounds of loud bangs echoed across the rooftop, accompanied by bright flashes from the silhouettes ahead. The younger redhead instinctually raised her arms, ducking her head slightly as she felt herself stagger off course, allowing Ikrie to slip past Aloy first. As Anukai recovered her trajectory, she tried to focus on the sounds of the machine skittering across the rooftop behind her without actually turning around, focusing her gaze on the open doorway.  


Finally, the Banuk redhead slipped past Aloy, staggering into the space beyond and almost immediately running into a wall directly inside, letting out a cry of pain as she turned her shoulder to bear the brunt of the impact and reigniting the sensations from her fall moments ago. As soon as she did, Aloy slammed the door behind her, backing away just before the tip of the machine’s arm suddenly punched through the door, itself, the older redhead recoiling as it seemed to come to a stop less than a foot or two from her face. Anukai quickly grabbed her arm, tugging her farther away from the metal appendage before glancing to her left to find another set of stairs leading down. Ikrie was already standing on the landing one level lower, staring up at the redheads with wide eyes.  


“Down,” Anukai panted, pushing Aloy ahead of her.  


The older redhead complied, taking the stairs as quickly as she could manage, Anukai only a step or two behind her. By the time they had descended several floors, something made the younger redhead pause, confusion creasing her face. As she did, she glanced back up the center of the staircase, but noted that she couldn’t make out any signs of motion following them down. She continued to stare upward for a moment or two before her eyes widened and she scrambled forward, attempting to catch up to the other two women as quickly as she could.  


As she spun the corner of what appeared to be one of the last sets of stairs, she saw Aloy leading Ikrie away from them toward another doorway out of the stairwell.  


“Stop!”  


The other women jumped at the urgency of Anukai’s voice, Aloy’s hand pausing inches away from the door handle.  


“Trap!”  


Just then, something heavy rattled the door, nearly knocking it off its hinges and prompting Aloy and Ikrie to stagger backward in surprise.  


“It cut us off,” Anukai panted, coming to a stop behind them.  


“Back up?” Ikrie suggested, glancing toward the stairs.  


“Cornered again,” Aloy replied, shaking her head.  


“Then where?”  


“Down.”  


Confusion creased Ikrie’s face before she followed the redheads’ gazes to see that the stairs had not stopped, but appeared to descend farther into a much darker level below them. Before the dark-haired huntress could argue, the heavy impact shook the door, once again, this time knocking the entire bottom half loose and sending it skittering across the floor, nearly taking out Anukai at her ankles as she hopped out of the way.  


“Down.”  


With that, the women took off toward the stairs, once again, quickly descending into the semi-darkness and spinning around the corner. Immediately, the air seemed to hang thicker and heavier, carrying a strange, musty scent, as well. The floor where they found themselves appeared to be made out of stone, but was littered with dust, dirt, and what appeared to be abandoned pieces of furniture. The entire space was lit by sporadic, dimly-glowing sources of light that reminded Anukai of the fixtures she had seen strung across the streets of Meridian, but without the flare of different colors.  


“Look for another way out,” Aloy panted.  


“Like what?”  


“Some kind of secondary exit,” the older redhead said. “Those stairs can’t be the only way in or out of here.”  


Just as they began to move farther into the room, however, the sound of heavy, pounding footsteps above them prompted the women to quickly scatter farther into the room. Anukai paused several yards ahead, slipping behind a set of shelves and glancing back toward the stairwell where they had entered, tracking the sound of the footsteps as they approached it. A moment later, the first signs of the Corruptor’s legs stabbing into the stairs and the walls beside them appeared, making its way far too quickly down them before stopping at the bottom, its red eye flickering slightly as it seemed to scan over the room.  


The Banuk redhead carefully drew a slow breath before carefully slipping her bow from over her shoulders, nocking an arrow to it and carefully positioning herself so that she could aim past the side of the shelves without exposing much of her body. As the machine’s eyes slowly turned back toward her, she carefully exhaled before finally releasing the arrow. She watched its path carefully as it shot between several shelves and dilapidated pieces of furniture before slamming directly into the flickering, sputtering eye that seemed to have fixed directly onto her.  


The Corruptor staggered backward, twisting its body about like some kind of wounded animal as the sounds of wood splintering and snapping sounded. Anukai noted that several of its legs had punctured through the stairs, themselves. With a smirk, the redhead began to slip her bow back over her shoulders, just as she saw the machine whip its body around one last time, eliciting a shower of sparks from somewhere beside it.  


The next moment, the sources of light overhead seemed to flicker, before suddenly going out entirely, leaving the room in near-total darkness. Anukai froze in place one hand still on her bow, holding her breath for a moment or two as she waited for the light to return, but it never did.  


“Not good,” she breathed.  


The Banuk redhead swallowed nervously before attempting to hold her hand in front of her face. As she did, however, she realized she could only make out the faintest outline of her fingers, and she swore under her breath. A quick glance back toward where she knew the machine had been moments ago revealed no glowing red light to give away its position, but more of the inky blackness.  


The moment of satisfaction from the direct hit was quickly evaporating.  


“Turn on your low light mode, now,” Aloy’s voice suddenly hissed in her ear, distorted slightly by the Focus.  


“How?” Ikrie shot back, her voice similarly affected.  


Anukai quickly reached up to tap her Focus. As she did, and the familiar chime sounded in her ear, she realized that the faint, white lines made of light had appeared overlaid over the outlines of everything around her. Spinning quickly in place, she noticed two orange images in the shape of people appeared amidst the darkened objects, one seemingly across the room to her left while the other stood only a few yards away to her right.  


“Ikrie, just turn your Focus on,” she whispered.  


She watched the orange figure to her right reach for her ear, before she paused, seeming to glance around.  


“Still on from earlier,” Anukai sighed, glancing back around the room before freezing, once again. “I can’t see it.”  


“See what?”  


“The machine.”  


“Too advanced,” Aloy’s voice growled. “It must be able to hide its signature.”  


“What?”  


“You won’t see its signal on your Focus. Watch for any signs of motion.”  


Anukai swallowed nervously before lowering to a crouch and scanning slowly around herself. After a moment or two, she hadn’t seen any signs of motion, so she carefully began to make her way toward the figure she knew to be Ikrie, who was still standing where she had seen her stopped a few moments ago. When the redhead reached her, she made a soft sound between her teeth to signal her presence, but the other huntress still jumped.  


“It’s me,” she said, reaching up to grab one of Ikrie’s arms and tug her into a crouched position, as well.  


The dark-haired huntress quickly obeyed, dropping down beside her as Anukai noted that she could hear her breath already coming in a short, fast cadence.  


“Stick with me, okay?” she breathed.  


The image of Ikrie nodded, but remained silent. Taking a deep breath, Anukai began to turn to her left, only for the other girl’s hand to shoot out, grabbing her arm and gripping it tightly.  


“Movement.”  


The redhead froze in place, listening for any sounds to accompany Ikrie’s warning, but the only things she could make out were the sounds of rain pounding on the street outside and the other girl’s breathing. Slowly, she turned her head to glance back the way she had come, staring into the messy assortment of white-outlined images for several long moments. Just when she thought that whatever Ikrie had seen must have passed, she caught the faintest hint of one of the sets of lines moving, sliding from her left to her right, moving behind what appeared to be another series of shelves.  


Without a word, Anukai carefully tugged her arm that Ikrie had grabbed onto, beginning to move painfully slowly along the large piece of abandoned furniture they had taken cover behind. Ikrie released her arm, but the redhead could still sense her following behind, moving as slowly and carefully as her. When they reached the end of the furniture, Anukai stopped, scanning the area near where she had seen the motion earlier, but everything was still, once again.  


With a slow, deep breath, she began to lead the way into the open, resisting every urge in her body to scurry to the next set of cover behind a set of shelves and remain at a slow, silent pace. As she scanned around the room with her eyes, she noted the remaining orange figure still on the far side of the room, seemingly crouched behind some kind of cover of her own.  


Just as she did, however, her eyes quickly flicked to the right of the super-imposed image, catching the vague hint of motion as something long seemed to curl upward. A split-second later, Anukai had thrown herself to the left, tucking into a roll across the floor as the thud of something very heavy slammed into the floor where she had been a moment ago. As she popped out of the roll and onto her feet, once again, she heard the sound of creaking and groaning, followed by another loud crash.  


When she glanced behind her, she saw that one of the shelves they had been moving toward had been knocked over, and the outline of something moving amidst the rubble immediately stood out to her. She expected it to get louder as it moved toward her, but instead it seemed to turn to her right, and Anukai’s heart stopped for a moment. The orange outline of Ikrie backpedaled, scurrying away toward where the redhead had first found her, but the white-outlined silhouette of the machine began to move after her.  


“Hey!” Anukai suddenly shouted, rising to her feet and waving her arms.  


The machine stopped, seemingly turning toward her for a moment, before quickly turning back to Ikrie and moving toward her even faster.  


“No!”  


Anukai suddenly ripped her bow from over her shoulders, nocking an arrow to it and raising it to a firing position in one smooth motion. A moment later, the arrow hit the side of the machine with a metallic clink, causing it to pause, once again. As it did Anukai loosed another arrow, this time hitting something much more substantial as the impact came with a resounding clunk, several sparks, and the sound of angry whirring.  


Finally, the shape seemed to turn toward her and begin charging almost immediately, crashing through anything in its way as it closed in on the redhead. Anukai cursed under her breath before quickly throwing her bow over her shoulders and taking off to her left, running as fast as she could manage through the maze of shelves, furniture, and other assorted junk that littered the room. Several times she accidentally collided with something or nearly tripped on debris on the floor, but she managed to keep her momentum, for the most part, until she finally saw something about waist-high ahead of her and vaulted over it, only to quickly drop to the floor behind it. As she pressed her back to the hard surface behind her, she also quickly clamped one hand over her mouth.  


Several moments later, the heavy footsteps of the machine drew closer, before stepping over her cover, itself. She quickly pulled her legs in even closer to her as she stared up at the shape of the machine overhead. It continued for another few steps before pausing, seemingly in confusion, as it turned in place, scanning the room before it. Anukai seized her chance and carefully rose to a crouch, once again, slipping away to her right just before the machine began to turn around, once again. She immediately halted behind a set of shelves, still keeping one hand held over her mouth, as she did.  


The machine seemed to remain where it was, but now scanned the area where she had been a few moments ago. The redhead continued to watch it for several long moments before she noticed it had slowly begun to return to where she had taken cover. In response, Anukai slowly began to move farther along the shelves she was hiding behind, until she had reached the end and was able to slip behind them. From her current position, it was harder to make out the machine through the assortment of items on the shelves, themselves, but she could make out just enough motion from its arm as it seemed to lift and curl above it, almost as if in frustration.  


Taking her moment, Anukai carefully turned to glance behind her, seeking out the outlines of the other two orange figures. One of them appeared against the far wall, seemingly seated against it, their legs pulled in tightly toward their chest, while she couldn’t immediately find the other. Frowning, she glanced back toward the machine, ensuring that it was still searching the area she had been moments ago, before slipping away from her cover as silently as she could manage.  


When the sounds of the machine chasing after her didn’t come, she continued on her way across the room, taking care to avoid any of the loose debris on the floor to avoid making any unnecessary noise. Finally, she reached the orange-outlined figure and came to a stop beside her. She didn’t need any additional light to know that it was Ikrie as she slowly reached one hand toward her shoulder.  


“Hey,” she whispered softly, prompting the orange image to jump, whirling toward her. “It’s me.”  


Ikrie paused for a moment before exhaling slowly, although her body position didn’t change.  


“You’re alive…” the other girl muttered.  


“Like always,” Anukai shot back, smirking despite the darkness. “Machine’s not dead, though. I need your help.”  


The other girl slowly released her arms from around her knees, bracing herself as if to stand up.  


“How?”  


“Got any more of those chillwater bombs?”  


The orange image nodded.  


“Last time they let us do a lot of damage, and clearly we’re going to need to do that.”  


Ikrie took a deep breath, nodding once again before beginning to rise from her seated position, mimicking Anukai’s crouched one a moment later.  


“How do we do this?”  


“Follow me. We’ll also need Aloy.”  


With that, Anukai turned on her heels and glancing around the room until she found the other orange figure, finally, outlined in a crouched position on the other side of the room, somewhat off to her right. The Banuk redhead reached back to tap Ikrie on her shoulder before beginning to lead the way toward their orange target. As they maneuvered through the crowded room, Anukai also continued to watch for signs of motion from the machine amidst the various shapes outlined in white light. They were too far away to see if the machine was exactly where she had left it, but she assumed that it hadn’t remained still for quite that long.  


As they drew in closer to the remaining orange figure, Anukai noted how it turned and began to make its way toward them, as well. Just before it rounded the end of the shelves ahead of them, however, the sound of something much heavier moving along the row to their right prompted all three of them to freeze in place. The Banuk redhead glanced to her right, staring past the shapes of whatever lay on the shelves to the hints of motion just beyond them.  


As she watched, it continued farther down the aisle, prompting the orange figure ahead of them to slowly back away, slipping down the aisle to the Banuk huntresses’ left as they began to back away, as well. Finally, when they reached the end of the current aisle, Anukai quickly tugged Ikrie to the left, leading her toward the last figure until they finally met at the end of the next aisle.  


“You two okay?” Aloy whispered.  


“For now,” Anukai replied, eying the end of the aisle they had just left. “You still have that weapon like the ones the Enforcers have?”  


The older redhead reached for her belt, pulling something from it and nodding.  


“Last time that was what did this thing in,” Anukai continued. “Ikrie and I will get around it. She’ll douse it with chillwater, and then we can hit it hard.”  


The older redhead nodded, glancing back toward the sounds of the machine bumping into the end of the shelves, knocking several items to the floor.  


“I’ll stay here, you two go,” Aloy hissed.  


The Banuk girls complied, quickly turning and slipping along the end of the next several rows of shelves. After they had gone several down from where Anukai could see the machine moving, she signaled for Ikrie to stop, leaning in close to her.  


“You stay here and douse it from the side. I’ll get along the back row to hit it from behind when you do.”  


“We’re going to split up?” Ikrie hissed, quickly reaching out to grab Anukai’s arm.  


“Only for a moment,” Anukai replied, placing one hand over the dark-haired girl’s. “You can do this.”  


The dark-haired huntress remained still for several long moments before taking a slow, deep breath, and nodding. A moment later, Anukai slipped down the aisle ahead of her, drawing her bow as she did. When she reached the end against what appeared to be the far wall, she came to a stop, carefully leaning around the end of the shelves and scanning for the signs of motion, once again.  


After a moment or two, she spotted the moving white lines ahead of her and she tried to gauge which direction they were moving, but it was almost impossible from her current angle. Still, she drew an arrow from her quiver, nocking it in place and bracing herself to spring into motion.  


After several long moments, in which she began to wonder if Ikrie had lost track of the machine, perhaps, she caught sight of motion out of the corner of her eye. Something sailed through the air before slamming into the side of the machine. Immediately, it recoiled against the wall, its flexible arm seeming to thrash around, crashing into one of the sets of shelves and sending it tumbling to one side. Anukai could also just make out the telltale crackling sound that told her the chillwater had begun to set into its metal body.  


Seizing the moment, the Banuk redhead slipped into the row ahead of her, dropping to one knee as she drew her bow back. It was almost impossible to tell which part of the machine she was aiming at in the darkness, but she settled for somewhere in the center of the thrashing lines and loosed her arrow. The tip landed with a resounding thud before the sound of the tearblast head began to build. When it reached its peak, the sudden flash of light prompted Anukai to turn her head away, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment before she forced herself to turn back to the target ahead of her.  


Several more of the shelves had begun to fall, now, as the items on them had been blown away by the tearblast explosion, although Anukai noted that the machine’s motions amidst it all seemed to have grown both feebler and more frantic. Within a blink of an eye, Anukai had nocked another arrow to her bow, taking aim at the machine and loosing yet another tearblast head into it. When the second explosion ripped through the room, the machine seemed to fall against the wall, sliding to the floor as she caught several sputtering, shaking motions from both its legs and its arm.  


“Aloy, now!”  


One of the other orange figures suddenly rushed through the wreckage, hopping over various pieces until she came to a stop a yard or so away from the machine. Anukai saw one hand raise, orange-highlighted finger wrapped around a trigger before several loud bangs resounded throughout the space. The machine seemed to jump, yet again, its arm trying to whip toward the attacking figure even as she crouched down to avoid it.  


Gritting her teeth, Anukai quickly drew another arrow from her quiver, testing the head with her finger to make sure that it wasn’t a tearblast one before nocking it to her bow. She took aim at the thrashing limb for a moment before loosing the arrow. It seemed to hit its mark a moment later, lodging itself into the appendage to a small shower of sparks. Almost immediately, the motions grew even feebler, but didn’t stop entirely.  


With the change in strength, however, the orange figure before the machine quickly leapt forward, reaching the side of the machine, itself, before seemingly holding her weapon directly in its “face”. A moment later, a series of loud bangs followed, each one punctuated with a bright flash of light that partially revealed the pitch-black metal of the machine for a split-second before it fell into darkness until the next bang occurred again.  


Finally, however, they came to a stop, although Anukai still heard a clicking sound echo once or twice after. In the wake of the discharges, the Banuk redhead noticed that all of the motion from the Corruptor seemed to have stopped, prompting her to begin taking a cautious step closer. Memories of the previous time they had tried to kill one of the machines passed before her, however, and she quickly drew another arrow, holding her bow at the ready, just in case.  


After several long seconds of stillness and silence, Anukai cleared her throat.  


“Is it dead?”  


Another moment or two passed before she heard Aloy sigh and the orange figure kicked at the machine’s form.  


“I think so.”  


Anukai also tentatively kicked at part of the Corruptor, but it didn’t make any motions to get up or strike out at her. With a heavy sigh, she lowered her bow, returning the arrow to her quiver.  


“Finally…”  


As the Banuk redhead returned the bow over her shoulders, she glanced off to her left, finding the remaining orange figure making her way toward them. Anukai stepped toward Ikrie, quickly wrapping her in a tight embrace. The other girl jumped for a moment before returning it, as well.  


“Nice shot,” Anukai said, grinning.  


Ikrie laughed softly, shaking her head before burying her face in the redhead’s shoulder and taking a deep breath. After several long moments, they finally broke the embrace, turning back to Aloy, who now appeared to be standing atop the machine, reaching toward something on it.  


“What are you doing?” Anukai asked.  


Aloy didn’t reply, but continued to mess with whatever she had focused on inside the machine until she finally crouched down over it. The sound of her Focus chirping followed a moment later, after which the older redhead rose to her feet, once again.  


“Aloy…?”  


The orange-tinged figure turned back to the Banuk girls, hopping off the top of the Corruptor and approaching them.  


“Maybe this thing can help us, in the end,” she said. “Come on, we have to keep moving, though. They know we’re down here, and after a minute or two, when their machine doesn’t come back, they’re going to know and come after us again.”  


Anukai swallowed heavily, nodding in response.  


“Where do we go, then?”  


“Out of Reva,” Ikrie replied quickly.  


“We’re not leaving the city, just yet,” Aloy said, her voice low and intense.  


“What?!”  


“Not without Talanah,” the older redhead shot back.  


“We don’t know where she is,” Ikrie argued, “and we’ve now got probably the entire city looking for us, and they want to kill Anukai and me and want to capture you, as well!”  


“I am _not_ abandoning her!” Aloy roared, stepping closer to the dark-haired huntress before Anukai suddenly stepped between them, bracing one hand against the older redhead’s chest.  


“Aloy, stop,” the younger redhead said shortly. “We’re not abandoning her.”  


“Then what else would leaving be?”  


“Living to see another day to find her,” Anukai replied. “Right now, we’re stuck in the center of a mob of these people, and we’re either going to end up dead or captured ourselves before we even get to her.”  


The older redhead remained silent, her heavy breathing clearly audible, even while Anukai couldn’t actually see her face beyond the vague orange outline before her.  


“We keep ourselves alive, and not captured, for now… we’ll have the time and ability to get to her.”  


Several long seconds passed, but Anukai didn’t feel Aloy back away from her at all.  


“I promise.”  


Finally, the older redhead seemed to relent, letting out a heavy sigh as she finally stepped away from Anukai’s hand.  


“It’s going to be a fight getting out of here, regardless,” Aloy said.  


“So we move quickly.”  


The older redhead sighed, her outline showing her hands braced on her hips as she came to a stop a yard or so away. Finally, she drew in a slow, deep breath before nodding.  


“Do we go back the way we came in?” Anukai asked.  


“Before the lights went out, I could have sworn there was another exit over here,” Aloy said, gesturing to the wall beside them. “Look—well, _feel_ —for a door.”  


Anukai frowned, but turned and moved toward the wall where there Corruptor had fallen, placing one hand against it and beginning to walk slowly along it, dragging her fingers across the cool surface. Finally, after she had covered what she thought to be nearly half of its length, her fingers brushed over something raised from the rest of the wall and she stopped, quickly turning toward it and reaching up with her other hand, as well, feeling out the shape of the item. With a low laugh, she turned back toward the other figures behind her.  


“There’s something here,” she said.  


Ikrie and Aloy quickly moved over to her, stopping on either side.  


“A door?”  


“Feels like it,” Anukai muttered, running her hands along the side to her left, where she expected to find a handle or latch of some kind.  


After several moments of searching, she frowned, not finding anything. Instead, she moved her hands toward the center of the door, where she found what appeared to be some kind of heavy, metal latch. Gripping it with both hands, she began to lift up on it. The metal beam slid up and out of whatever held it with a quiet groaning sound. As soon as Anukai felt like it was fully free, she pulled on the beam, instead. Immediately, she realized how heavy the door was as she adjusted her grip and tugged on the beam with more strength.  


Once the door had creaked open a few inches, she dropped the latch and moved to the right side of the door, wrapping her hands around it and beginning to pull, once again. A few seconds later, it had swung open, revealing a space just as dark as the one where they stood, now, although her Focus outlined what appeared to be a set of stairs leading up to nothing.  


“Where do they go?” Ikrie muttered from behind her.  


“The street,” Aloy replied. “Must be some kind of—safety exit or something.”  


Anukai’s lips drew into a thin line as she imagined climbing straight onto the street outside, but she didn’t have long to ponder the idea as Aloy had already stepped forward, beginning to ascend. The Banuk huntresses glanced toward each other for a moment before Anukai began to follow after the older redhead, who was now standing with her shoulder braced against whatever surface blocked the top of the stairs.  


“Feels like two doors,” Aloy muttered. “I’ll get this one and you get that one.”  


Anukai swallowed nervously, but did as she asked, standing on the right side of the staircase and bracing her shoulder and hands against what seemed to be some kind of metal panel.  


“On the count of three,” Aloy said. “One… two… three.”  


With that, both redheads shoved upward against the supposed doors. For a moment, they didn’t seem to want to move, but with a metallic creaking and whining, Anukai felt the panel begin to give way. Several seconds later, the door finally seemed to break out of its frozen position, leaping upward and swinging wide open to a small torrent of rain and several surprised shouts. As soon as the door was clear of her grasp, Anukai reached for her bow, pulling it from over her shoulders as she scanned up into the rain for signs of their potential attackers.  


As soon as her eyes took in several figures standing nearby, all holding something dark and metallic in their hands, she caught Aloy charging forward out of the corner of her eye. Anukai quickly scrambled to nock an arrow to her bow, drawing it into firing position as she aimed toward one of the figures, only to find the older redhead already upon them. She saw Aloy’s right arm swing toward one of the figures, eliciting a cry of surprise from one of the others.  


The second of the other two figures began to raise his weapon, so Anukai quickly took aim at him, loosing the arrow and watching as it lodged itself in his temple, sending him crumpling to the ground in a limp heap. Aloy quickly seized the additional moment of surprise to turn to the last figure, swinging her arm around again to reveal the hunting knife in it just before she jammed it into the side of his neck. The man’s eyes widened as he still tried to raise his weapon toward her, somehow, but the older redhead quickly withdrew the knife and drove one knee into his stomach, sending the man falling to the ground with a wet yelp.  


Anukai quickly hurried out of the short set of stairs and onto the street as she nocked another arrow to her bow, glancing around for any other Enforcers. While several seemed to be gathered near the edge of the building several yards away, none were in their immediate proximity, so she waved for Ikrie to quickly follow her.  


“Right!” the younger redhead called, glancing toward Aloy and trying to wave for her to follow.  


Aloy glanced back at her for a moment before crouching down and reaching for something on the ground. Anukai paused in confusion before she saw Aloy lifting one of the black, metal weapons the Enforcers carried, much like the one she had used in the fight in the Controller’s room earlier.  


“Aloy, we’ve got to go!” the younger redhead called.  


The older redhead, however, ignored her, raising the weapon and taking aim toward the distant Enforcers, all of which had suddenly taken notice of the women and begun to turn toward them, as well. A split second later, the weapon in Aloy’s hands began to fire, emitting a continuous barrage of ear-splitting cracks as the tip flashed with brilliant light each time. The Enforcers recoiled as one or two of them fell to the ground, the rest raising their weapons to return fire.  


“Dammit!” Anukai growled, swapping the arrow on her bow for another in her quiver and aiming it at the group ahead of Aloy.  


A moment later, her arrow found its mark in the chest of one of them, prompting him to recoil as the sound of the tearblast charging up began to rise in the air. Once it reached its fever pitch, the resulting blast sent the rest of the group scattering, while also sending a shower of red mist into the air above the figure who had been stuck.  


Aloy finally lowered her weapon just before Anukai rushed over to her, putting one hand on her shoulder and prompting the older redhead to jump in surprise.  


“Lets—go!” the younger redhead growled.  


Aloy paused for a moment before nodding, turning to follow after her, but not dropping the weapon she had commandeered. As they ran away from the commotion, where of the Enforcers were just beginning to get back to their feet, some holding hands to their ears or seemingly nursing injured arms, the sounds of even more distant shouting began to echo around them. When they passed the alleyway on the opposite side of the building, they found another group of Enforcers exiting it, all of whom seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of the women. Even while Anukai attempted to keep running, Aloy slowed her pace for a moment, raising her weapon and firing several times into the group.  


Half of the Enforcers ducked for cover while the other half attempted to return fire, prompting Anukai to raise one arm self-consciously over her head, ducking slightly as she continued her dash along the somewhat darkened street. Finally, the sound of Aloy’s weapon firing ceased and the younger redhead glanced back to see her picking up her pace in an attempt to catch up to the Banuk huntresses.  


Once they had passed three or four more side streets, Anukai caught sight of more Enforcers suddenly charging into the street ahead of them, forming a line across it and raising their weapons.  


“Left!” Anukai barked, suddenly changing direction to barrel down the side street.  


She heard the sound of footsteps echoing behind her and assumed the other two had followed suit moments before the sound of the Enforcers opening fire began to fill her ears, instead. Although she was already out of their line of sight, she heard the sounds of their ammunition ricocheting off various surfaces around her, and she attempted to pour on more speed, desperate to get as much space between herself and them as she could.  


They continued at their breakneck pace for several minutes, taking turns at random as Anukai desperately tried to tell if anything around them looked familiar, but although they eventually found themselves back at one of the artificially-lit markets, she couldn’t tell if they had actually seen this one, before.  


Finally, she skidded to a stop in the middle of an intersection of four streets, turning in place as she tried to evaluate her surroundings. Ikrie and Aloy came to a stop behind her moments later, the older redhead’s weapon drawing the attention of quite a few people nearby, all of whom began to murmur and point.  


“Where are we going?” Ikrie panted.  


“Anywhere we know, even slightly,” Anukai replied.  


“We don’t know anywhere in this city.”  


“You’re looking for the main gate,” Aloy said, her tone low and raspy as she tried to catch her breath, as well.  


Anukai’s jaw worked tensely as the older redhead stared back at her.  


“You want to regroup out of the city.”  


“This place wants us captured or dead,” the younger redhead shot back. “We’re not going to be able to hide anywhere.”  


“If we leave, we’re never going to be able to get back in, either!” Aloy spat, taking an aggressive step toward Anukai.  


“You saw what happened to that man who talked to us in that pub!” the Banuk redhead snapped. “People will either be too afraid to help us, or they’ll end up dead, too!”  


“If we leave Talanah may be as good as dead!”  


Aloy was now directly in Anukai’s face, her tone reaching a shrill, fever pitch as the crowd around the women had begun to give them a wider and wider berth.  


“Whatever our answer is, we need it now!” Ikrie suddenly chimed in, stepping up to them and hitting both redheads on their shoulders before pointing back down the street.  


Aloy finally tore her attention away from Anukai, whirling to follow the dark-haired girl’s gesture. The Banuk redhead also leaned around her to see a group of figures in dark cloaks charging through the crowd ahead of them, waving and shouting for people to get out of their way.  


“We don’t have anywhere to hide,” Anukai said quickly, gripping Aloy’s shoulder tightly and bringing her attention back to her, “but we can run for now.”  


The older redhead continued to glare back at her as the Banuk sighed.  


“I don’t like running, either, and I don’t want to leave her, but we just can’t do anything right now,” Anukai said, her tone bordering on pleading.  


Aloy’s jaw worked tensely for a moment or two as she glanced back at the quickly approaching Enforcers, Ikrie beginning to back away to their right, glancing between the two redheads with a nervous expression.  


“Aloy… _please_.”  


The older redhead froze for a moment before sighing heavily, her shoulders deflating.  


“Let’s go.”  


Anukai gave Aloy’s shoulder one last squeeze before turning to lead the way down the street behind them, only to skid to a halt within only a few feet. While several dark-clad Enforcers had also appeared in the street before them, her eyes were mainly drawn to the pitch-black machine that stood with them, its presence eliciting screams from the crowd around it and sending a small wave of people toward them.  


The Banuk redhead quickly scanned it over, but noted that it no longer seemed to be holding a figure, and she couldn’t make out a familiar head of raven hair amidst the crowd beside it, either.  


“She’s not with them,” she panted, glancing over at Aloy beside her to find the older redhead’s jaw clenched tightly, an expression that could have burned a hole in the side of one of the metal buildings beside them settled on her face.  


“No… she’s not.”  


Suddenly, Aloy reached toward her Focus, tapping it and continuing to stare intently at the crowd ahead of them.  


“Come on, another way,” Anukai said, attempting to draw her down the street to their left, but the older redhead refused, remaining rooted to the spot. “Aloy!”  


A moment later, she tapped at the air before, her fingers dancing over unseen images and glyphs, before she finally seemed to tap one more emphatically than the rest.  


“Let’s see how you handle it, motherfuckers.”  


Confusion creased Anukai’s face before the sound of the Corruptor’s strange, bleating call echoed down the street. The Banuk redhead glanced toward the machine to find that its red eye was now focused on the Enforcers near it, several of which had glanced back at it in confusion. A moment later, however, the machine’s deadly arm had suddenly whipped around, spearing one of the Enforcers on its tip before lifting him into the air and whipping his body toward the wall of the building on the left side of the street.  


Any remaining members of the general crowd in the street began to evacuate, running any way they could to get away from the machine as it quickly set upon the remaining Enforcers near it. Several attempted to raise their weapons against it, managing to get several shots fired off at it, but most of their attempts seemed to bounce harmlessly off its metal body. Within only a few seconds, however, the Corruptor had torn through, smashed into the street, or speared every Enforcer who stood near it.  


Anukai and Ikrie stared dumbly at the carnage for a moment before turning back to Aloy to find her with a twisted smirk on her face.  


“Did… did you…?” Anukai managed.  


“I told you I learned how to override machines, right?” Aloy replied, glancing over at the Banuk huntresses before turning back to the Enforcers that had originally begun to give chase from behind them.  


The rear group had been slowed considerably by the charging crowd, and now seemed to be hesitating at the sight of the Corruptor attacking their allies. Aloy tapped her Focus, once again, staring out over the Enforcers ahead of her for a moment before turning back to the Corruptor behind her.  


“Kill.”  


A moment later, the machine had charged past the women, heading directly for the Enforcers. Many of them scrambled to lift their weapons, but a good amount of their group also began to turn and run, joining the crowd around them. Anukai swallowed heavily as she watched the Corruptor reach the first set of Enforcers, immediately tearing through them as it had with the previous group.  


After several moments of watching the figures be turned into a bloody pulp, Anukai finally turned away and grabbed one of Aloy’s arms.  


“Come on.”  


“Why? They’ll all be dead soon.”  


“They’re not the only ones.”  


“You said yourself,” Aloy spat, turning back to Anukai with a hard expression, “we can’t stay in this city because they’ll come after us. If there’s no one left to come after us…”  


The Banuk redhead faltered for a moment, her hand slowly releasing Aloy’s arm as she found herself leaning away from the older redhead. Aloy continued to stare back at her with the same, hard expression for several moments before something seemed to shift in it, and something softer but more unreadable began to filter in, instead.  


Just then, however, another strange, bleating call echoed about the street, and they both jumped, whirling around in search of another pitch-black machine with spindly legs and a flexible arm bearing down on them, but none made themselves apparent. The call sounded again, however, and Anukai paused before glancing up toward the night sky.  


Despite the drizzling rain that still pounded on her face, she was able to make out the faint glow of red and blue lights against the dark grey backdrop. The lights seemed to circle above, before one set of them suddenly began to fall toward them. A moment later, a dark, winged machine suddenly landed atop the Corruptor, grabbing its body with a pair of outstretched talons.  


The Corruptor attempted to fight back, swinging its tail at the machine, but it didn’t seem to do much to faze it as the new, airborne attacker began to lift it into the air. Anukai thought that it appeared to be a Glinthawk, but as she stared more closely at it, she realized that its design was different. The wings were thinner, but wider, and the head was longer and narrower. She didn’t have long to study it, however, before it disappeared above the buildings, dragging the still thrashing Corruptor with it.  


The street seemed to remain in a moment of shocked stillness for several long seconds before bursting back into motion as the Enforcers began to shove everyone out of the way, yet again, pointing toward the two redheads in the middle of the intersection.  


“Back to the original plan,” Anukai growled, grabbing Aloy’s arm and tugging on her sharply. “Let’s go!”  


This time, the older redhead seemed to comply, turning and rejoining the frantic race along the street behind Anukai and Ikrie. As they left the scene of the Corruptor attack, the crowd began to grow thicker and thicker, making it harder to move quickly, although a good deal of the people around them quickly scrambled to get out of their way, as well. By the time they had reached the next section of brightly-lit stalls and crowds of people who were not running out of fear, the Enforcers who had originally given chase were barely visible behind them.  


“Which way?” Ikrie huffed, glancing around the various street options.  


As Anukai surveyed them, as well, her eyes suddenly locked onto something nearby and she gestured toward the street to their left.  


“This way!”  


The others followed her as she began to shove her way through the crowd, her eyes locked on the weapons merchant who had first let her hold one of the weapons so like the Enforcers’. She didn’t stop at this stall this time, however, but continued charging forward, taking in several of the other merchant stalls that began to feel more familiar as she continued.  


Once they had gone several blocks of the packed streets, her eyes locked onto something up ahead and she pointed toward it.  


“Main gate!”  


The other women muttered acknowledgements, as well, but otherwise kept charging ahead. As they passed another intersection with four streets, Anukai caught movement out of the corner of her eye and she glanced over to find another group of Enforcers attempting to charge in to cut them off, but the crowd was thicker than they had anticipated and they couldn’t get through in time. A few moments later, the same issue began to overwhelm the women on the run, the amount of people choking the street too much to easily navigate through.  


Anukai was forced to slow to nearly a walking pace as she brusquely shoved through the crowds, but it was proving to be quite the arduous task. A moment later, however, several loud rapports sounded over her head and she winced, ducking down for a moment before glancing back to find Aloy with her stolen weapon raised into the air. She fired it several more times until the crowd around her began to spread out, running any way they could to try to escape the sounds of the weapon.  


The Banuk redhead quickly maneuvered her way toward Aloy, finding her in an open space in the middle of the crowd. Anukai glanced back to find Ikrie struggling to reach them, so she hurried toward her, offering a hand to help pull her through the panicking mob. When all three of them had regrouped, they took off toward the main gate, once again, Anukai keeping a firm grip on Ikrie’s hand as they did.  


The final charge was only several blocks long, but it felt like the longest part of the journey as Anukai tried to gauge how many Enforcers were waiting for them at the gate. She counted two or three on the ground before it, while several stood atop it, aiming two of the incredibly bright, artificial lights into the street. A moment later, Anukai saw Aloy skid to a stop and raise her weapon, prompting the Banuk redhead to follow suit, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow. The older redhead’s weapon fired several times until the Enforcer on the upper right side of the gate suddenly slumped against the railing and fell still. Anukai quickly aimed at the one on the left and loosed her bolt. The second figure staggered backward for a moment before falling to the walkway, as well.  


The Enforcers on the ground at the gate raised their weapons, trying to scan into the crowd of people, but the commotion had only grown worse after Aloy had fired her weapon. Seizing the moment, the women charged forward, coming to a stop just at the edge of the crowd before carefully aiming between the bystanders and firing on the Enforcers. The two in the front fell quickly, while the third scrambled to run backward, only for Aloy to unload several shots into his back.  


With the gate effectively open, the women charged toward it, once again, breaking free of the crowd and racing under the massive, metal archway. As soon as they did however, they skidded to a halt, staring up at the massive tower-like machines to their left, both of which were showing signs of coming to life.  


“Fuck—run!” Aloy commanded, shoving Anukai and Ikrie to their left.  


They quickly obeyed, taking off across the open, muddy ground as quickly as they could, their gazes fixed firmly on the small shelter where their Striders had been led, earlier. The machines still stood idly by under the metal roof, although their blue eyes had turned toward the approaching women at the sounds of their footsteps. As soon as Anukai had reached one of them, she threw her bow over her shoulders and clambered aboard, only pausing long enough to ensure the others were aboard theirs before beginning to spur her Strider out of the cover.  


They had all taken only a few steps outside of the structure before a hail of projectiles sailed over their heads, crashing into the haphazard assortment of metal parts and demolishing them in a cloud of fire. The resulting shockwave nearly knocked Anukai off her Strider, but she held firm, shifting her position to a more normal seated one before leaning forward and spurring her machine into a full gallop.  


The dark, rain-soaked ground quickly flew by, growing even darker as the lights of the city and the flames from the destroyed structure receded behind them. Still, the women refused to ease up their pace until they had put a good several minutes between themselves and Reva. Finally, Anukai eased back on her Strider’s wires, glancing around to find the other two doing the same.  


Once she was no longer barreling forward at full speed, she was able to glance back to see exactly how far they had come from the city. Surprise settled over her as she realized just how small it looked, already. They had gone a good several miles or so during their charge.  


“Is—is everyone okay?” the Banuk redhead managed, glancing at Ikrie and Aloy in turn.  


The other two nodded, Ikrie running one hand over her face tiredly as Aloy sighed heavily.  


“We need cover, not to just be out here in this open ground,” she said. “We saw those flying machines—they’ll be able to see our Strider’s lights out here.”  


“So where do we go?” Anukai replied.  


Aloy pointed off to her right and the Banuk followed her gesture to see one of the mountain ranges that had curved off and around Reva seemed to also sport a line of trees partway up its slopes.  


“Tree cover. Can’t see us from above, harder to track us on foot if we get a good ways in.”  


The Banuk huntresses nodded in agreement and the three women all adjusted course before spurring their Striders onward, once again, quickly reaching a full gallop. The trek to the trees seemed to take much longer than the dash minutes ago, but Anukai refused to relent her pace or to take her gaze off the goal ahead of her.  


Finally, however, they reached the base of the mountain range and slowed their machines’ pace somewhat as the inclined increased. As the first trees began to loom over them, they ultimately slowed their mounts to a mild canter, now forced to navigate among the various trunks and underbrush around them. The entire time, however, Anukai felt the hair on the back of her neck standing on end, her head constantly swiveling as she scanned for signs of lights in the sky overhead, as well as among the trees around them.  


They continued in silence for what felt like an hour before finally Aloy signaled for them all to stop, and Anukai brought her Strider to a halt.  


“Let’s… take a moment,” Aloy sighed, rubbing at her eyes tiredly before relinquishing her Strider’s wires and slipping from its back.  


Anukai frowned slightly, but followed suit, flexing the fingers of her right hand tiredly before glancing toward Ikrie.  


“You okay?” she asked softly.  


The dark-haired girl nodded, wiping some of the rain-soaked hair that had become plastered to her forehead aside. Anukai sighed, stepping over to her and wrapping one arm around her shoulders before moving toward Aloy. The older redhead was pacing about in the space between two trees, her hands wringing before her, as well.  


“This just a pause for a moment,” Anukai began, “or a camp for the night?”  


Aloy paused her relentless pacing before sighing, rubbing at her eyes tiredly.  


“I… I don’t know,” she said.  


Anukai frowned, glancing to Ikrie before removing her arm from behind the dark-haired girl and stepping closer to the older redhead.  


“Aloy, I know you want to start looking as soon as possible, but…”  


“After that shit show, we’re not, I know,” she spat, whirling toward Anukai.  


The younger redhead raised her hands defensively, prompting Aloy to pause before letting out a sound halfway between a sigh and a sob. A moment later, she fell against one of the trees beside her and slowly sank to a seated position against the base of its trunk. Anukai hesitated for a moment before slowly approaching, taking a similar seat against the opposite tree.  


“Aloy, I’m truly sorry,” she began softly. “I don’t want to leave her, either—”  


“If it were Ikrie,” Aloy interrupted, still staring vacantly at the ground before her, “would you have done the same?”  


Anukai paused, glancing toward the dark-haired huntress nearby to find her standing with her arms folded, her head hanging slightly. Finally, she glanced up toward Anukai, again, her eyebrows raising slightly.  


“Yes.”  


Ikrie offered a sad, but knowing smile, as she began to pace away, giving the redheads some space.  


“Ever since we were little,” Anukai continued, turning back to Aloy, “we were taught that survival meant tough choices.”  


“Including leaving someone to die,” the older redhead said flatly.  


“Including knowing when you were able to do something to save that other person,” Anukai interjected. “Tell me… how would Talanah feel if you tried to save her and you didn’t make it out… and I was here talking to her, instead?”  


The older redhead’s eyes grew notably more watery as she inhaled shakily, her head hanging forward as she stared down at her lap.  


“I haven’t known Talanah as well as you,” the Banuk redhead said softly, “but I know she understands… and she knows that you _will_ be coming for her.”  


Aloy lifted one hand to cover her eyes as her torso began to shake with nearly silent sobs.  


“She _knows_ that you will tear through any barrier, person, or—mountain,” Anukai continued, gesturing wildly to the space around them, “to get her back. I _know_ she’s tough, Aloy, and she’ll hold on until you do.”  


“You don’t—” Aloy choked out, pausing for a moment as she cleared her throat, “you don’t have to keep trying to reassure me, Anukai.”  


The Banuk redhead paused, her mouth hanging open as if to say something for several moments before she sighed heavily, slumping against the tree trunk behind her.  


“I just don’t want you to think otherwise of all this.”  


“I said—”  


“I know, you don’t want me to talk right now,” Anukai interrupted, beginning to rise from her seat before Aloy’s hand quickly grabbed her foot, stopping her.  


The Banuk stared down at the older redhead to find that she had finally pulled her hand away from her face, revealing the wet lines that rolled down her cheeks, through the drying field of raindrops. They met each other’s eyes for several long moments before Anukai slowly settled back into her seat against the tree trunk, at which point Aloy released her hold.  


They remained silent for several long moments until Ikrie finally returned, bringing with her some of their supplies, including food and water. The group ate and drank silently, with Ikrie taking a seat against Anukai’s side as soon as she had handed out the rations. Finally, once they had finished, they packed the items back into their original bags and pouches, but left them in a pile nearby.  


Several long moments in total silence passed as Anukai found her gaze travelling to her left, back toward the vague hints of lights through the thick, dark canopy of the forest. Finally, she cleared her throat, prompting Ikrie to jump slightly.  


“So… you know who this Faro is?” she said, turning back to Aloy. “The one who has an entire city under the thumb of his cult and wants most of us dead?”  


The older redhead also seemed startled out of her reverie by the Banuk’s voice, but she cleared her throat a moment later, nodding.  


“His name is—or was, rather—Ted Faro,” she said softly. “He… well, like I said, he just about caused the end of the world in the time of the Old Ones.”  


Anukai’s jaw clenched tightly as she also found her fists curling instinctually into fists in her lap before one of Ikrie’s hands gently laid atop her left hand, prompting her to relax them, allowing the dark-haired girl’s to slip into her own before she gently closed her fingers around it.  


“I—I don’t know how he’s here, now,” Aloy continued, throwing her hands into the air dejectedly, “but that voice—the one that wasn’t the Controller—was his.”  


Several moments of silence passed before Anukai spoke again.  


“Do you think… he’s like Elisabet… maybe?”  


Aloy sighed.  


“Anything’s possible at this point.”  


Several more long moments of silence before Ikrie broke it, this time.  


“Why does he seem to want you so badly, then?”  


Aloy laughed dryly, shrugging.  


“I’m as clueless there as I am with how he spoke to us.”  


Just then, Anukai’s Focus chimed in her ear and she jumped in surprise. Judging by how the other two women also reacted accordingly, she assumed theirs had also made sound.  


“I believe I have established a connection,” a familiar, feminine voice said. “Can you hear me?”  


“Yes, GAIA,” Aloy replied, confusion creasing her face, “but… how?”  


“After my time accessing the systems within Reva, I was able to devise a secure channel of my own, mimicking that of the Omega access, that allows me to use their relays to boost my signal.”  


Anukai blinked slowly at her explanation, but Aloy nodded as if she understood.  


“First sign of trouble, though, you leave, got it?”  


“I understand the risks and am constantly monitoring for them,” GAIA explained. “I wanted to contact you because… in setting up this connection I learned of distressing news.”  


Aloy quickly grew tense as Anukai felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.  


“What did you find, GAIA?”  


“Reports indicate the capture of one of your party, and judging by the signals present, currently… they have captured Talanah, no?”  


“She’s alive, though, right?” Aloy said quickly, not directly responding to the AI’s question.  


“The last reports I viewed did indicate that she was alive, however her Focus has since gone offline,” GAIA replied a hint of sadness in her tone.  


“Fuck!”  


Aloy swung her fist at the ground beside her, prompting both Anukai and Ikrie to jump in surprise. Several long seconds of silence passed before anyone spoke again.  


“I am continuing to monitor their communications as best I can,” GAIA continued.  


Aloy finally let out a heavy sigh, leaning her head back against the trunk behind her.  


“Thank you, GAIA.”  


This time, the silence stretched on for several minutes before it was ultimately broken by the sound of Ikrie yawning, prompting Aloy to glance over at her.  


“You two should get some rest,” she said softly.  


“What about you?” Anukai replied quickly.  


“Someone has to keep watch.”  


The Banuk redhead frowned, but didn’t argue further before rising from her seat to retrieve the bedrolls from their mounts. The canopy overhead provided a decent amount of relief from the rain, but Anukai still covered hers with the cloak she had been wearing as an extra means of coating her blanket before stretching out on her bedroll. Ikrie carefully placed Aloy’s beside her before setting up hers in its customary position alongside Anukai’s quickly slipping under her blanket and cloak, as well, before huddling close to the redhead.  


The dark-haired girl’s arms wrapped around Anukai with a tight insistence that she hadn’t felt, exactly, since perhaps the first night or so after she had awoken following her near-death debacle, but she returned the grip as best she could. Once Ikrie’s face was buried in the crook of her neck, she spared a glance toward Aloy over the dark-haired girl’s shoulder.  


The older redhead was still sitting with her back against the tree trunk, staring blankly ahead of her. A tight feeling built in Anukai’s chest as a fleeting sensation of guilt came over her, but she quickly averted her gaze, turning it to the darkened image of Ikrie before her. Seemingly unprompted, Aloy’s question from earlier began to ring through her head repeatedly.  


“ _If it were Ikrie, would you have done the same_?”  


Although Anukai was confident in her answer, part of her felt in immediate, aching pain in her chest at the thought of not having the dark-haired girl in her arms right then, and the feeling of guilt quickly took hold in her, once again. The Banuk redhead squeezed her eyes shut tightly, leaning forward to bury her face in the damp head of dark hair before her.  


Eventually, she found herself dozing off, but into a dreamless sleep.  


Perhaps it was better that way.  


The next thing she knew, however, the sound of something deep and loud echoed over her and her eyes immediately shot open, her heart pounding in her chest as she lifted her head, scanning for signs of machines with glowing eyes closing in on them from all sides, but the only ones she could find were their Striders nearby.  


As the initial panic faded, her gaze fell on the trunk across from her, only to find Aloy was no longer seated against it. Quickly, Anukai attempted to partially disentangle herself from Ikrie, propping herself up on one arm as she glanced around. Motion from her right drew her attention to find the silhouette of a figure seemingly moving away from them at a light run.  


A split-second later, Anukai had leapt to her feet, as well, throwing her blanket and cloak aside before taking off after the shadowy image. After she had already given chase for several yards, the thought that she should have grabbed her bow passed over her, but it was too late to turn back. As she continued to give chase, the strange sound continued to echo from above, seemingly vibrating the ground and the Banuk’s body, itself, as it continued.  


Finally, she saw the silhouette charging up what appeared to be a short section of a steeper incline, and Anukai pressed onward, scrambling up the muddy, rocky surface, as well. When she reached the top, she skidded to a halt behind Aloy, who now stood at the edge of what appeared to be a rather steep drop-off leading to more trees and the mountain range twisting onward, a small river flowing in the middle of the narrow valley.  


As Anukai prepared to speak, her eyes travelled past the outline of the older redhead to find something else silhouetted against the night sky. A large shape lit by several blinking lights powered through the low cloud cover, moving along the path of the river, seemingly, as it continued farther away from them. The Banuk watched it go for several moments before realizing that it wasn’t about to double back toward them, and she let out a heavy sigh.  


Aloy jumped at the sound, glancing back at Anukai before frowning slightly.  


“You scared me,” the Banuk redhead managed.  


“Sorry, I… I heard the sound and… had to see.”  


“See what?” Anukai continued, confusion creasing her face. “What was that?”  


The older redhead’s jaw clenched tightly for a moment before she glanced back down the incline behind them, prompting Anukai to follow her gaze. As she did, she found Ikrie just reaching the top of the incline, panting slightly.  


“Is everything okay?” she asked quickly as she straightened up.  


“We’re fine,” Aloy replied. “Sorry for the scare.”  


Ikrie muttered a curse under her breath as she approached Anukai, the Banuk redhead smiling apologetically.  


“I thought we were under attack,” she said, poking the redhead’s shoulder forcefully.  


“I saw her running and—” Anukai began to say, gesturing to Aloy, but the dark-haired huntress cut her off by wrapping her in a tight embrace.  


Anukai paused for a moment before sighing, returning it and pressing a soft kiss to Ikrie’s forehead.  


“I’m sorry,” she whispered.  


A moment or two later, Ikrie finally released her, allowing both huntresses to focus on Aloy, once again.  


“So… what was so important that you scared us all into following you up here?” Ikrie asked.  


“You saw,” Aloy replied, nodding toward Anukai. “That machine.”  


“Yeah, but… what was it?”  


“It’s… ancient.”  


The hair on the back of Anukai’s neck stood on end as she exchanged a quick, cautious glance with Ikrie.  


“Like… like the Corruptors?”  


“No,” Aloy replied, shaking her head as she stared out at the last hints of the blinking lights that gave away the dark shape’s position as it finally began to disappear into the clouds.  


Silence fell over the group for several long moments before Anukai cleared her throat.  


“Then… what is it?”  


Another brief period of silence followed before Aloy spoke, her voice soft and her tone nearly curious as her eyes remained locked on the last position of the dark machine.  


“A VTOL.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week, we reach _The Cusp_.


End file.
